The number of young people out of work in the borough has fallen for the first time since September.

Those claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) who are 18-24 years old has fallen by 1.8pc with 25 fewer claimants in March than in February.

There are still 495 young people without a job in Great Yarmouth, which is 2.1pc higher than at the same point last year.

Stephen Lankester, district operations leader at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), said: 'Yarmouth is one of the few places that has gone up year on year – most offices have gone down year on year.

'This time of year in Great Yarmouth there is the seasonal work that is about to begin with people coming back to work. We'll find there's a natural reduction in the next few months in the figures. This is probably the worst time of the year in terms of unemployment.'

Overall the number of people claiming JSA is 1945, 1.8pc lower than in February with 35 fewer people claiming.

Mr Lankester said a recent jobs fair had 500 jobs on offer in the holiday industry.

With recent difficulties in the oil and gas industry, particularly the offshore sector, which employs many people in the town, Mr Lankester said the DWP started an Oil and Gas Taskforce to support people who had lost their jobs.

Brandon Lewis, Great Yarmouth MP, said: 'I'm pleased to see that youth unemployment has fallen month on month in Yarmouth and expect to see this trend continue as we enter our peak tourist season.

'Overall, youth unemployment has fallen by well over 50pc since 2013 and I continue to work with local schools, colleges and businesses to ensure our young people have the skills and advice they need to get on in life.

'Yarmouth continues to be a hub for investment, as demonstrated by the recent announcement that Siemens has chosen Peel Ports as their preferred port for their wind turbine tower assembly and installation base.

'This further strengthens the towns' position as a leading port for the offshore energy industry and brings jobs and growth to our local area.'