Unemployment went up by 416 across Kent and Medway in February, bucking the national trend.

The number of people out of work and claiming benefit across the county stood at 37,744 last month from 37,328 in January.

Nationally the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance decreased by 32,300 between January and February to reach 1.59 million. The number of unemployed fell by 33,000 over the quarter to January, standing at 2.45 million.

Unemployment actually went down by 63 in Medway from 7,659 to 7,596 but went up by 479 in the rest of Kent from 29,669 to 30,148.

Thanet saw the largest rise, with 110 more people out of work. The next largest rise was in Dover at 82, followed by Gravesham at 73, Dartford at 63 and Canterbury at 54.

Only two other areas of the county saw falls in unemployment, with a fall of 23 in Swale and 17 in Tonbridge and Malling.

Nationally the number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 61,000 over the quarter to reach 687,000, the highest figure since the three months to August 1997.