A North West borough has the UK's worst paid women, according to new government statistics.

Female workers in Tameside, Greater Manchester, are paid just under �300-a-week on average.

The figures have been released by the Office for National Statistics.

The best paid women are in Surrey Heath, where their average weekly wage is just under �461.

Manufacturing decline

Kieran Quinn, Tameside Borough Council's head of economic services, said he recognised the area's problems.

The borough - to the east of Manchester - had relied too heavily on manufacturing in the past and had been hit by the sector's decline and subsequent low pay, he said.

Mr Quinn said there were signs of improvement since the final stretch of the M60 Manchester ringroad was opened, giving Tameside quicker access to the rest of the country.

He said: "Denton will receive �200m of investment over the next five years.

"What has brought that is the opening of the M60 and we are starting to reap its benefits.

"But we are about 10 years behind the rest of the region, which had the motorway earlier."