The gender pay gap for full-time workers in Essex has shrunk over the last year, official figures reveal.

The new statistics reveal women take home an average annual salary of £29,334 – £6,400 less than the average man’s salary of £35,734.

The average pay figures, for workers who live in Essex, are calculated using a median, rather than mean, average, to stop them being skewed by particularly small or large pay packets.

Across the UK, male workers in full-time jobs now earn 8.9 per cent more than their female counterparts.

This represents a slight rise from 8.6 per cent last year, the first increase in six years.