The number of people claiming sickness related benefits has risen fastest recently in parts of southern England where jobs have remained plentiful, according to research conducted by the Financial Times.

The phenomenon of the commuter-belt claimant will worry policymakers who have long assumed a link between high levels of joblessness and numbers on incapacity benefit. It suggests a new generation of claimants is emerging who suffer from stress and behavioural disorders irrespective of location or job type that is much harder to shift.