THE number of unemployed people in Herefordshire remains below the national average.

A total of 1,012 county residents are currently claiming Jobseekers Allowance according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It means 0.9 per cent of Herefordshire’s working age population is claiming the benefit, compared with 1.9 per cent nationally.

In the West Midlands, the average is 2.4 per cent.

The Herefordshire figure, which covers April, is down 122 on the number for March and is the lowest figure since last November.

Nationally, there has been another fall in unemployment to 1.83 million people, down 35,000.