Birmingham has been named as the benefits capital of Britain in official figures.

Four areas of the city feature among a league table of constituencies with the highest proportion of claimants.

Birmingham Ladywood topped the list - with 10.3 per cent of working age residents receiving unemployment handouts.

The neighbouring Hodge Hill seat was second on 8.9 per cent, while Perry Barr and Erdington were fifth and sixth respectively.

The map produced by the House of Commons Library based on ONS figures shows the hotspots for benefits claims

Deirdre Kelly - known as White Dee - was one of the main characters followed in the 2014 Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street

Birmingham dominated the league table of claim rates for jobseeker's allowance and universal credit granted to people looking for work

The details, compiled by the House of Commons library using last month's data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), lays bare the extent of welfare dependency in some parts of the UK.

Birmingham has been notorious for its deprivation, becoming the focus of the 2014 Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street.

The show followed a year in the life of inhabitants of James Turner Street, where 90 per cent were said to be claiming.

Northern Ireland is confirmed as a benefits hotspot in the latest figures, with Foyle third in the rankings recording a claimant rate of 8.7 per cent. Belfast West was seventh on 7.4 per cent and Belfast North tenth with 6.8 per cent.

By contrast, South Cambridgeshire had the lowest rate in the UK of just 0.6 per cent.

Across the country the benefits claimant rate is 2.6 per cent.

FOUR-FIFTHS OF LADYWOOD LIVES IN 'HIGH DEPRIVATION' Birmingham Ladywood is notorious for its welfare dependency levels, having featured in the 2014 Channel 4 documentary Benefits Street. The constituency, represented by Labour's Shabana Mahmood, covers much of the prosperous city centre. But the local council admits that four fifths of the population is in areas of 'high deprivation'. Some 126,000 people live in the seat, with nearly 45 per cent aged under 25. Two fifths of the children in the area are defined as being in poverty. Black and ethnic minority groups account for 72 per cent of the population. Advertisement

As of March, Birmingham Ladywood had 6,125 people receiving jobseeker's allowance or universal credit granted to those looking for a job, among a working age population of just under 60,000 people.

The number of claimants in Hodge Hill was 4,075, in Perry Barr it was 3,845, and Erdington 3,475.

In Scotland the highest benefits claimant rate was 6.3 per cent in Glasgow North East, while Methyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency in Wales recorded 4.6 per cent.

The Birmingham Ladywood constituency, represented by Labour's Shabana Mahmood, covers much of the prosperous city centre.

But the local council admits that four fifths of the population is in areas of 'high deprivation'.

Some 126,000 people live in the seat, with nearly 45 per cent aged under 25.

Two fifths of the children in the area are defined as being in poverty.

Black and ethnic minority groups account for 72 per cent of the population.

The figures emerged after the UK turned in another robust set of jobs numbers yesterday.

The number of people in work was up by 39,000 on the latest quarter to 31.8 million, giving an employment rate of 74.6 per cent.

That is the joint highest since records began in 1971.

The jobless total was cut by 45,000 in the quarter to February to 1.56 million, a reduction of 141,000 since a year ago and the lowest since the end of 2006.

Vacancies were up by 16,000 to a record 767,000, with strong growth in accommodation and food services sectors.

The number of self-employed workers has increased by 17,000 to 4.78 million, 15 per cent of all people in work, and close to a record high.

The ONS also reported a shift in part-time to full-time employment.

The local council admits that four fifths of the Birmingham Ladywell population live in areas of 'high deprivation'