Norfolk has more children in part-time work than almost anywhere else in the country, data shows.

Norfolk County Council issued 1,376 child employment permits in 2016, equivalent to 5.2pc of children aged 13 to 15, figures from a BBC Freedom of Information request shows.

Of the local authorities that responded - more than 140 - Norfolk and Dudley, in the West Midlands, came out as the highest.

The Dudley local authority issued 471 permits, roughly 4.4pc of its 13 to 15-year-olds.

But the figures showed that, nationally, the number of children with a part-time job alongside school studies has fallen by a fifth in the last five years.

From 2012 to 2016, the number of permits issued around the country fell from 29,498 to 23,701.

It was reflected in Norfolk, where the number has fallen year on year from 2,412 in 2010 to 1,376 last year.

During term time, children can work for a maximum of 12 hours a week, including up to two hours on a school day or Sunday.

Jobs including newspaper rounds, waiting on tables, leaflet delivery and office work require permits, and employers must apply for one for children aged between 13 and 15.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and a former headteacher in Suffolk, told the broadcaster it was 'vital' young people left themselves with enough time for study and rest.

But he added: 'Properly regulated part-time work is a good way of helping young people learn skills that they will need in their working lives.'