St Albans has experienced a drop-off in the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the city since the pandemic.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that compared to 2019, there are 695 fewer SMEs in St Albans - a decrease of 7.74 per cent over the last five years.

In total, there are 8,280 SMEs in the city, down on the 8,975 recorded pre-pandemic.

St Albans has fared worse than many of its neighbours, with Stevenage seeing a three percent increase, Watford dropping by less than one per cent and Welwyn Hatfield experiencing a decrease of just under five per cent.

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The East of England as a whole ranks second-bottom nationally for SMEs, with 2,225 fewer businesses than in 2019.

The data also looks at employment rates in the city, which have also seen a significant drop since 2019.

Job growth in St Albans is down by 14.43 per cent, a sign of the struggles small businesses have faced as the UK slowly recovers from the impact of the pandemic.

An SME is defined by the government as a business with fewer than 250 staff and an annual turnover of less than £50m.