The number of self-employed people in Cambridgeshire has risen by eight per cent since the financial crisis and now stands at 57,900, according to new figures.

The rise comes as experts say more support is needed to tackle an advice gap for those starting out in self-employment.

The figures published by the Office of National Statistics show the total is up from 53,500 before the recession in 2007/2008, as more and more people turn to working for themselves.

Despite self-employment falling from its peak across the UK in the last year, Cambridgeshire bucked the trend with the number of self-employed people in the county estimated to have grown by 4200 in the same period.

The figures were highlighted by Business Debtline, a free debt advice service run by the Money Advice Trust, to warn of a worrying ‘advice gap’ for people starting up their own business.

Claire King, the Money Advice Trust’s insight manager and author of the research, said: “The surge in the number of people who are self-employed in Cambridgeshire is one of the consequences of the recession – and in many ways they are the unsung heroes of our economic recovery.

“Unfortunately, some are paying a high personal price for the risk they have taken to support the economy. We must do more as a society to give them the best chance of succeeding.

“We would like more to be done to widen access to the business advice and information at the outset of people’s journey into self-employment. This really can make the difference between triumph and disaster.”