AVERAGE wages for Yorkshire workers have dropped by more than 15 per cent in real terms over a five-and-a-half-year period, a union has claimed.

Research published by the GMB said that while the average annual income for employees in the county rose from £23,227 in April 2008 to £23,790 in November this year - a 2.4 per cent rise - this was wiped out six times over by the rate of inflation.

The only area of the UK to see a larger real-terms wage decrease was London, with 20.4 per cent, while the figure in the north east decreased by almost half Yorkshire’s rate.

However, none of the 20 worst-affected areas in the UK for reductions in average earnings were in North or East Yorkshire. The data came from the Office for National Statistics.