A chart that shows how more and more people are being paid less than the Living Wage

One in four people in Britain earns less than the Living Wage and the number is rapidly rising, with women more likely than men to have the lowest earnings.

New official statistics released on Monday showed staff in hotels, restaurants, bars and shops, and cleaners and labourers are among those struggling by on the worst rates of pay.

The proportion of jobs paying less than the Living Wage rose from 21 per cent to 23 per cent outside London over the two years to April 2014, while the figure for the capital increased from 13 per cent to 19 per cent.

A spokesman for the Department for Business said: "Decisions on what wages to set are for employers and workers to agree as long as employers pay at least the National Minimum Wage and from April 2016, the National Living Wage."

Read the Independent's full report on Britain's low pay crisis here

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