Unemployment across the county has risen by 167, with East Kent bearing the brunt.

The number of people claiming JobSeekers Allowance in Kent and Medway stood at 30.343 on November 11, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

While the jobless total fell by 51 in Medway to 6,001 (3.6 per cent of the workforce), it went up across the rest of the county by 218 to 24,742 (2.8 per cent).

The biggest increases were in Swale (up 106), Dover (up 77), Thanet (up 75) and Shepway (up 71).

Nationally, the unemployment rate for the three months to October went up by 35,000 to 2.5 million. The claimant count fell by 1,200 to reach 1.46 million in November.