The number of people signing on the dole in Oxfordshire has fallen to its lowest level for almost 18 months.

Latest figures for May from the Office of National Statistics show 7,780 people in the county claiming unemployment benefit, a fall of 969 on the previous month and 1,857 fewer than at the same time last year.

It is the lowest figure since January 2009. The biggest shift was in the Cherwell District Council area where 710 people stopped claiming benefit over the course of the year.

Nationally, the claimant count also fell by 62,823 to just over 1.5 million.

But the actual unemployment figure including those not claiming benefits, increased by 23,000 between February and April to 2.47 million, giving a jobless rate of 7.9 per cent.

The figure includes students, people looking after a relative, workers on long-term sick leave, or those who have given up looking for jobs.