MP Gordon Henderson has welcomed news the number of people unemployed in Swale has dropped beneath 2,000 for first time since the economic crash.

Figures reveal the borough’s jobless total fell by 78 in August to 1,989 – the lowest in six years.

Leaving out the Faversham area, there are currently 1,748 people in Sittingbourne and Sheppey claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance.

When elected in 2010, Mr Henderson stated a key aim was to see the constituency’s unemployment total get beneath 2,000.

Although he is pleased with the latest figures, the Tory says there’s still lots to do to help those seeking work.

He said: “I was delighted to see them drop below 2,000, but we need to understand the statistics don’t always reflect the actuality, and that is some of the of those jobs are part-time.

“We don’t want to say that because we’ve gotten below 2,000 we have actually succeeded – our next target is to get them to fall below 1,000.”

Across the county, August saw a big drop in claimants for the fifth time in six months as more than 1,000 people stopped signing on.

Thanet district, which has the highest unemployment numbers, saw the largest fall with 222 people moving into work – bringing its total down to 3,245.

Medway saw 176 people leave its dole queues and has Kent’s highest year-on-year fall, down 1,613.

Three-figure reductions were also seen in Dover, down 132 to 1,583, and Shepway, down 131 to 1,560.

Maidstone had a drop of 72 to 1,332, and there were modest reductions round the rest of the county.

Canterbury fell 56 to 1,246, Gravesham was down 49 to 1,519 and Dartford down 45 to 1,043.

Traditionally affluent parts of Kent had the lowest falls, with Tunbridge Wells down 21 to 546, Sevenoaks down 17 to 707 and Tonbridge and Malling down eight to 872.

n More than 40 exhibitors will be attending the Swale Jobs Fair on Wednesday, September 24, at Swallows Leisure Centre.

Designed to help the unemployed back to work, it will include representatives from Shepherd Neame, the Army, RAF and Carillion.

There will be a focus on apprenticeships and retraining.The fair opens runs from 10am to 3pm.

Entry is free.