Unemployment has risen in Cumbria, for the fourth month in a row.

There were 5,230 job hunters claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit last month, 1.7 per cent of the workforce, up from a restated figure of 5,010 in February.

The claimant count rose in four of the county's six districts.

Allerdale saw the biggest rise in claimants, the number there rose by 135 to 1,345 (2.3 per cent).

Copeland was next, where the figure rose by 55 to 1,120 (2.6 per cent), followed by Carlisle with a rise of 30 to 965 (1.4 per cent) and Eden where there were 250 claimants (0.8 per cent), 15 more than in February.

Barrow and South Lakeland both saw their jobless totals fall by five to 1,160 (2.8 per cent) and 390 (0.7 per cent) respectively.

Shane Byrne, employer partnership manager for Cumbria with Jobcentre Plus, explained that the jobless figure includes Universal Credit claimants who would not previously have been counted as unemployed.

He said: "We are looking to help people progress in their work and earn more."

Mr Byrne also highlighted a national campaign with the NHS called 'Jobs with a Pulse', which will run in all the county's jobcentres next week.

Nationally the employment rate is at 74.6 per cent, with 31.84m people in work – an increase of 312,000 on the year and the joint highest rate since records began in 1971

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Damian Green said: “This is yet another strong set of figures, with unemployment at a rate that hasn’t been beaten since the 1970s and more vacancies than ever before.

“More people are finding full-time jobs and average wages have grown yet again, meaning more families have the security of a regular wage.

“However, there is always more to do. That’s why we’re creating a welfare system that rewards work through Universal Credit, which helps claimants keep more of the money they earn.”