Ageing population in two counties

Herefordshire and Worcestershire have one of the oldest populations in Britain, research suggests.

The Changing UK report, commissioned by the BBC, looked at the Census and other statistics to see how communities had changed over the past 40 years.

The BBC Hereford and Worcester area had the eighth highest average age - 41.7 - in the UK in 2006.

It also has the eighth largest proportion of people of pensionable age in the country.

In general, researchers say they have found Britain has become more polarised and socially fragmented.

Britain was more polarised with people living among their "own kind" in terms of age, economic status and other factors, the researched at Sheffield University found.

The report, led by Professor Danny Dorling, considered communities in terms of the BBC's 15 television regions and 45 local radio areas.