ECONOMICS South-east leads productivity

Britons created pounds 594bn of wealth, or an average of pounds 10,137 for each individual, according to economic figures for 1995 released by the Government yesterday.

The gross domestic product (GDP) figures, published by the Office For National Statistics, showed the South-east was the most productive region - with 31 per cent of the total population it accounted for 35 per cent of the nation's wealth.

London had the highest GDP per head in the UK at pounds 12,500. By contrast, the rate per head for Wales was pounds 8,440 and for Northern Ireland it was pounds 8,410. Outside the South-east, East Anglia was the only region to exceed the pounds 10,000 mark - with pounds 10,226.