Commuterland bears the brunt of rise in jobless

The region has witnessed dole queues growing at up to three times the national average as the City meltdown makes its impact on the services sector and other industries.

However, many areas of London, particularly in the centre, appear to be escaping the brunt of the downturn, according to a constituency report from the House of Commons.

In the South-East, the biggest jobless rise was in Crawley - rising 107 per cent in the year to November. Horsham, East Surrey and North Swindon have recorded rises of more than 90 per cent and Fareham, Buckingham, Mid Sussex, Basingstoke, North West Hampshire, and Arundel and the South Downs have seen jumps of more than 80 per cent.

Nearer London, the number of jobless rose by more than 70 per cent in Epsom and Ewell, as well as in Mole Valley, the area around Leatherhead in Surrey.

It spiked by about 50 per cent in Esher and Walton, Runnymede and Weybridge, Sevenoaks, Beaconsfield, Woking, Old Bexley and Sidcup, Guildford, Bexleyheath and Crayford, Brentwood and Ongar and Canterbury.

The figures led to immediate calls for special help in the South-East. Chris Grayling, who is shadow work and pensions secretary and MP for Epsom and Ewell, said: "My fear is that the real pressure is going to come not in the inner city but in other areas where people will be affected by job cuts in financial services and where house prices and mortgages have been high and so the impact of unemployment on families may be particularly tough."

His concerns seemed to be borne out as the 14 smallest increases in the UK's claimant count were in London, with Hackney North and Stoke Newington seeing a nudge upwards of only one per cent, or 31 people, followed by Islington South and Finsbury, Brent South, Brent East and North Southwark and Bermondsey. Outer London constituencies such as Richmond, Kingston and Surbiton, Twickenham, Beckenham and Ilford North have seen rises in line with the national average of 34per cent.

Nearly all of the 50 worst hit areas in the region are constituencies held by Conservative MPs, many with historically low unemployment and a rise of a few hundred can show a dramatic increase in the jobless rate.

Work and London minister Tony McNulty pledged extra resources, including training, support and advice, for people in the South-East.He said: "I shall ensure that London gets the resources it needs during the downturn. With 7,500 vacancies in London and the South-East employers are trying to fill we are committed to giving real support to everyone who needs it."

Official figures earlier this week showed the claimant count across the country topping one million and the overall unemployment rate soaring towards two million by Christmas.

Liberal Democrat work spokeswoman Jenny Willott said: "The Government must invest extra in Jobcentre Plus in the South-East to match the sharp increase in unemployment."