Basingstoke is among the top ten places in the UK for women getting into trade jobs, a new study has found.

The north Hampshire town has among the highest proportion of females in construction and engineering - although women still make up fewer than 1 in 10 of the workforce despite an recent boom in the number of young females taking on apprenticeships.

In the last five years, there has been a 366 per cent rise in young women starting apprenticeships in construction and engineering.

Basingstoke is the sixth-best town for women taking on trade apprenticeships in the UK, paving the way for the next generation of female bricklayers, electricians and more.

Basingstoke has seen a growing increase in women in trade, as women now equate to 9.48 per cent of construction apprentices - an industry historically dominated by men.

Nationally, the top town for women in trade apprenticeships is Bolsover in Derbyshire, with three in ten of all construction apprenticeships going to women.

It is followed by Walsall (15.33 per cent) and Birmingham (13.23 per cent).

The report, from GoCompare, also reveals there is a gender pay gap in trades of £7,115 a year, although this is less than the average across all roles of £8,206.

A spokesperson for GoCompare said: "This report shows that, in the past five years, there’s been a 366 per cent increase in women enrolling in trade-focused apprenticeships which represents a real step change, particularly with more women taking the plunge into construction and engineering roles and apprenticeships.

“The report also shows that females in London are leading the way, as the capital has the highest number of females taking on trade apprenticeships. Our data reveals that in Southwark in particular, one in three trade apprentices are female.

“GoCompare has also seen a 6 per cent year on year increase in women quoting for van insurance which coincides with this rise – including females aged between 17-24. It seems lockdown impacted this as in summer last year, there was a large jump from April to July when quotes for van insurance doubled.”

The report also reveals that women in trade are more likely to take up painting and decorating or plumbing.

The two roles accounted for a combined 61 per cent of all women with a trade.