'The unemployment rate was 7.2 per cent for the three months to April 2009, up 0.7 over the previous quarter and up 1.9 over the year,' the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

'The number of unemployed people increased by 232,000 over the quarter and by 605,000 over the year, to reach 2.26 million.'

Both the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed stood at their highest levels since 1997 amid a deep recession in Britain. -- AFP