THE number of people claiming benefits in Herefordshire has decreased overall.

Labour market figures from the Department of Work and Pensions this week showed that the county's overall claimant count was 2,098, a decrease of 26 claimants compared to the same time last year.

This is a decrease of 1,326 Herefordshire claimants in comparison to five years ago.

There has also been a significant decrease in the number of claimants aged between 18 and 24 over the past five years, with 389 fewer claimants in that age bracket than in 2014.

But the figures also show that the number of younger claimants has crept up since last year.

There are currently 314 claimants aged 18 to 24, 18 more than there were in February 2018.