THE number of people claiming unemployment benefit in Oxfordshire has risen to its highest level for six months.

New figures for February show 3,697 claiming benefit, 151 up on the previous month, making it the highest total since last August.

Figures for council areas across the county show 1,474 claimants in Oxford, 865 in Cherwell; 553 in south Oxfordshire; 429 in the Vale of White Horse and 376 in west Oxfordshire.

But the figure is still 768 fewer than in February 2007.

Nationally, the numbers on Jobseeker's Allowance fell by 2,800 last month to 793,500, the seventh consecutive monthly fall in the claimant count, although it was the smallest reduction since October 2006.