SOUTHAMPTON is the poorest place in the southeast, according to shock new figures.

Average wages in the city are just half those of affluent neighbour Winchester, which is the 37th richest area in the entire country, according to research by Barclays bank.

Of 91 constituencies in the south-east, Southampton Test and Southampton Itchen, the city's two electoral districts, are ranked 91st and 90th respectively.

On the western edge of the city, the average household income is just £28,700, compared with Winchester's £55,670.

The eastern end of Southampton is marginally better off than the other half, earning an average of £30,550 per home. But the city still lags a couple of thousand pounds behind the earnings of regional rival Portsmouth and well behind the national average of £39,575.

The lowest household income in the country is in parts of Birmingham at just £20,500 - just one-fifth of the highest, in Kensington and Chelsea.

The royal borough saw average household income clear the £100,000 barrier for the first time, after an influx of the uber-rich into the area propelled the figure to a staggering £101,600.

City council Cabinet member for economic development and regeneration, Royston Smith, said the authority was working to attract more high-paying jobs to the area.

"We are aware that we are lagging behind and we are actively trying to change that," he said. "

For the full story see today's Southern Daily Echo.