THE number of workers in the North-East with daily commutes of two hours or more has increased by a fifth over the past five years, according to analysis by the TUC.

It said last year 85,335 workers fell into this category, an increase of 14,649 since 2010 and a 20 per cent rise.

The picture was similar in Yorkshire and Humberside where 180,246 employees spend two hours or more travelling to their workplace, an increase of 18,949 since 2010 – an 11.7 per cent rise.

Across the UK, one in seven UK employees (14 per cent) travelled two hours or more each day to and from work, compared to one in nine in 2010 (11 per cent).

UK workers spent ten hours extra, on average, commuting in 2015 than they did in 2010. This is the equivalent of an extra 2.7 minutes per day, the TUC said.

Women experienced the biggest rise in long commutes, although the majority of those making daily work journeys of two hours plus were men (61 per cent).

The TUC said the increase in travelling times may be explained by “stagnant wages combined with soaring rents and high house prices, leaving many workers unable to move to areas closer to their jobs”.

It also cited a lack of investment in roads and railways as a factor in increasing journey times.

Northern TUC regional secretary Beth Farhat said: “Long commutes eat into family time and can be bad for our working lives too.

“Employers cannot turn a blind eye to this problem. More home and flexible-working would allow people to cut their commutes and save money.

“But if we are to reduce the pain of traffic jams and train delays, ministers need to invest more in public transport and our roads.”