The national minimum wage has risen by 12p per hour from today, although unions have said that this is not enough.

The adult minimum wage has gone up to £6.31, with the rate for 18 to 20 year olds increasing by 5p to £5.03 an hour and rising by 4p for 16 and 17-year-olds to £3.72.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Years of below-inflation rises mean that the UK's lowest-paid workers are now facing an historic living standards crisis.

"As the recovery takes hold we will need to see far bigger increases to the minimum wage to ensure that ordinary people and not just the super rich benefit from economic growth.

"This will need more than any one-off pre-election boost - we will need sustained stronger rises if the real value of the minimum wage is to be restored."