Hastings 7th worst UK town for unemployment

The Observer reported just last month that there were currently 15 people claiming JobSeeker's allowance for every one current vacancy in the town.

Now the town has been named and shamed as one of the country's unemployment blackspots.

According to the latest stats, 24.3 per cent of working age adults are out of work and on benefits.

And this figure ranks Hastings as the seventh worst town or city in England - and the worst in the south.

In fact, no other southern English town features in the top ten - with Birmingham the next most southern of the worst offenders.

Two Welsh towns feature - with Merthyr Tydfil the worst in the UK with 30.1 per cent unemployed.

And Glasgow comes fourth on the list, with 25.7 per cent of potential workers not in jobs.

Outside of the top ten, Hackney is the southern name to appear, with the troubled London borough registering 22 per cent jobless.

However, Hastings has been boosted by new jobs this month. Sainsbury's opened a new store in Station Plaza last week - creating 20 jobs - and discount fashion store TK-Maxx opened a branch in Bexhill Road, creating another 55 jobs.

And later this year supermarket giant Asda is opening a store in Silverhill - bringing with it more than 350 new part time and full time posts.

In fact, earlier this month more than 1,600 people visited a recruitment bus advertising some of the Asda vacancies during a town centre roadshow.

In contrast a survey this week named nearby Bexhill as the best seaside town in the UK after taking into account issues like employment.