More people are working unpaid overtime, losing out on thousands of pounds a year in wages, a new report revealed.

Research by the TUC showed that almost five million employees are working extra hours without being paid, an increase of 103,000 in the past year.

Workers would receive an average of almost £5,000 if they were paid for the extra hours they put in, the study found.

The TUC said one in five people were now working unpaid overtime, putting in an average of seven hours and six minutes a week.

The union organisation calculated that if everyone in the UK who worked unpaid overtime did all their unpaid work at the start of the year, the first day they would get paid would be February 22.

The biggest increases in the number of employees working unpaid overtime in the past year have been in Yorkshire and Humberside (38,000), the eastern region (37,000) and London (32,000).

The numbers fell sharply in the East Midlands (down by 57,000) and the North West (41,000).

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "After years of progress, Britain's long hours culture is enjoying a renaissance and today's figures suggest many people are not even being paid for putting in these extra hours. People are giving away nearly £5,000 a year in unpaid overtime - that's too much time and money that could be better spent with friends and family."