ONS: Period of falling unemployment at an end

The Office for National Statistics has said the period of steadily falling unemployment over the past year appears to have come to an end.

Nicholas Palmer from the ONS said unemployment increased by 15,000 in the first three months of the year, compared to the previous quarter.

The total level of unemployment now stands at 2.52 million.

The government said the increase was disappointing, but it pointed to a fall last month in the number of people claiming job seekers allowance, which was down by 7,300.