Football League clubs increased their combined spending on transfer fees by 78% last season.

The clubs spent a total of �81.5m on transfers, compared to �45.8m in the previous campaign.

League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney said: "The last year's seen a resurgent transfer market with clubs spending significantly greater sums on players."

Money paid to agents went up for a third straight year, but fell as a percentage of overall transfer costs.

The 72 League clubs paid out a total of �11.1m to agents last season - representing 14% of their total spending on transfers.

Back in the 2004-05 season the percentage of money going to agents was at 53%, when transfer spending totalled just �14.6m, and has come down every year since then.

"It is encouraging that this (increased spending) has not been coupled with a similar increase in payments to agents," added Mawhinney.

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"Instead, these are now at their lowest levels since we began publishing these figures four seasons ago."

Leicester were the biggest spenders on agents in the League, despite suffering relegation from the Championship.

The Foxes fell into the third tier of English football for the first time in their history after a turbulent campaign that saw them spend �1.63m on agents between July 2007 and June 2008.

Stoke were the next highest spenders, paying out �1.32m, but they were rewarded with promotion to the riches of the Premier League.

Luton, Bournemouth and Rotherham have all encountered financial difficulties which have resulted in them starting the season on minus points.

Earlier this month the Centre for the International Business of Sport (CIBS) at Coventry University found that 56 League clubs have been insolvent between the introduction of the Insolvency Act in 1986 and June 2008.

But Lord Mawhinney paints a positive picture of the League's financial health.

"Football League clubs continue to make genuine strides towards putting their economic affairs in order," he said.

"We have led the way in this regard, though more remains to be done."