ONE in four people in parts of the Gwent valleys are officially too sick to work, new figures reveal.

Long-term sickness levels in Blaenau Gwent are among the worst in the UK according to the research published yesterday.

The report reveals that in Blaenau Gwent and other parts of the South Wales Valleys, 25 percent of the potential workforce are on long-term incapacity benefit - and the legacy of heavy industry is blamed.

In the UK as a whole nearly six million people are off work on a long-term basis as rising levels of stress in the workplace - and the decline of heavy industry - are cited for the rise in people claiming sickness benefits.

Experts at Sheffield Hallam University, who published the "hidden unemployed" study, say the decline of heavy industries such as coal and steel and a shortage of new jobs has led to the rise in people being declared unfit to work.

Professor Tony Gore, from the University's geography department, said: "The aim of the report is to try and estimate unemployment levels generally.

"We wanted to look at certain areas where there seems to be less work and there is a tendency for people to move from job seekers allowance onto other benefits.

"We found that in areas such as Blaenau Gwent and across the South Wales Valleys - areas which have seen a decline in mining and other heavy industry - there is a diversion of people from jobseeker's allowance to-wards incapacity benefit."

Rising levels of stress are cited in the report as one of the leading reasons for the rise in long-term sickness nationally.

But in South Wales, Mr Gore said there was still high prevalence of long-term physical ailments such as chest diseases and bad backs which he said was a legacy of the mining industry.

About 2.4 million people claim incapacity benefit in the UK. It is available to those who made National Insurance contributions and are under state pension age when they became sick.

l The Argus reported last week that health issues in Blaenau Gwent are being tackled with an extra £180,000 grant for schemes aimed at reducing the abnormal levels of heart disease, stroke and cancer - all linked to its industrial past. The borough is one of the worst ten local authority areas in the UK in terms of life span, ranked 366 out of 374.