Unemployment in Cumbria has risen for the second month in a row.

According to the Office for National Statistics, there were 5,420 people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit in January – an increase of 45 compared to revised figures for December.

There were rises in half of the county’s six districts.

Carlisle and Copeland saw rises of 25, taking the total to 995 (1.5 per cent) and 1,225 (2.9 per cent) respectively.

South Lakeland also saw a rise of 10 to 370 (0.6 per cent).

Allerdale witnessed a drop of 15 claimants to 1,540, representing 2.7 per cent of the population.

The picture was unchanged in Barrow, where there were 1,045 claimants (2.5 per cent) and Eden, with 245 claimants (0.8).

Unemployment has hovered between 5,300 to 5,500 during the past 12 months.

It rose for five consecutive months in early 2017 before a series of falls and an unchanged picture to end the year.

Nationally, unemployment unexpectedly rose for the first time in two years. Figures for the final quarter of 2017 showed an increase of 46,000 to 1.47 million.

However, figures from the ONS said that the number of people in work had increased by 88,000 while wages grew slightly.

Ian Brinkley, acting chief economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, said there were reasons to be positive.

"The substantial and unexpected rise in unemployment is a clear warning that the UK labour market may be running out of steam, but there are reasons to believe that this is a one-off, as opposed to the beginning of a larger employment crisis,” he said.

“The strengthening of wage growth is also a welcome sign as, when coupled with likely falls in inflation, it opens up the possibility of real wage growth in the coming months, which will be a great relief to those workers who have seen their pay packets squeezed for months on end.”