The gender pay gap for full-time workers in Denbighshire has shrunk considerably over the last year, official figures reveal.

It now stands at 3.9% hourly, compared to 12.4% in 2018, Office for National Statistics data shows.

They reveal women take home an average annual salary of £21,930 – £4,159 less than the average man's salary of £26,089.

The average pay figures, for workers who live in Denbighshire, are calculated using a median, rather than mean, average, to stop them being skewed by particularly small or large pay packets.

Across the UK, male workers in full-time jobs now earn 8.9% more than their female counterparts.

This represents a slight rise from 8.6% last year, the first increase in six years.

But ONS statistician Roger Smith said the national increase was not "statistically significant", adding it is too early to say if it marks a change in trend.

"We also saw an increase in 2013 followed by a return to downward trend in subsequent years," he added.

"However, the downward trend is a slow one regardless."

For people aged under 40, the wage gap for full-time employees is now "close to zero", the ONS said.

Yet it widens among 40 to 49 year olds to 11.4%, stretching to more than 15% among 50 to 59 year olds and those over 60 – a difference that is "not declining strongly over time".

The ONS attributes this to older women being "more likely" to work in lower-paid jobs than younger ones, and less likely to fill managerial roles.

In Denbighshire, the difference in pay between male and female workers, including those in part-time jobs, decreased from 16.7% in 2018 to 13.2% this year.

This divide can partly be explained by the number of women working part-time. An estimated 6,000 women in Denbighshire were in part-time work last year, around 33% of the female workforce, but of the 12,000 working men, too few were in part-time work for the ONS to provide an estimate.

Nationally, the average gender pay gap is 17.3% across all work patterns.

Gender equality charity the Fawcett Society called progress on closing the gender pay gap "dismally slow", adding that it would take 60 years to accomplish at the current rate.

Sam Smethers, the charity's chief executive, said: "Too many women are trapped in low paid part-time work or locked out of non-traditional sectors while others experience pay or pregnancy discrimination."

Equality and Human Rights Commission chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath added: "As we enter the third year of reporting, the attention really needs to shift to action.

"It should be mandatory for employers to publish, alongside their pay gap data, plans with specific targets and deadlines."