The number of people out of work in the UK fell this month for the first time since May last year.

The jobless figure dropped by 35,000 to 2.65 million in the three months to February, compared with the three months leading up to November, the Office for National Statistics said.

The unemployment rate edged down from a 12-year high of 8.4% to 8.3%, the lowest level since the summer of last year.

However, ONS data showed that the number of people having to settle for part-time work, because they cannot find full-time jobs, has risen 89,000 to 1.4 million, its highest level since records began in 1992.