Long-term youth unemployment in Enfield has rocketed to more than five times what it was one year ago.

The latest figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, reveal that in July this year, 435 people aged 18 to 24 had claimed Job Seeker’s Allowance (JSA) for more than a year.

Just one year ago, only 85 people young people in Enfield had claimed the benefit for more than 12 months – 0.3 per cent of the 18 to 24 year olds in the borough.

The number of long-term out-of-work youths has risen every month since April 2011, when only 45 young people had claimed JSA for more than a year.