BT Group adds more than £1.7bn to the North West economy and supports almost 20,000 jobs, according to an independent report.

The Economic Impact of BT Group in the UK report, by consultancy firm Hatch, has calculated that the communications and technology giant generated more than £24bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy during the last financial year, including £1.71bn in the North West.

The report also estimated that about 19,800 full-time jobs in the North West are supported by the group through direct and indirect effects.

The firm also spent £410m with suppliers based in the North West, with the majority spent in the telecommunications industry.

In the North West, the group directly employs 8,280 people, with a further 1,440 hired as contractors.

The report comes after the group announced plans for significant multimillion-pound investments to move staff into new offices in Manchester and Warrington.

Last week BT also unveiled plans to recruit dozens more apprentices and graduates in the North of England for its September 2021 intake while Openreach, the digital network business, announced in December that it would create 255 new full time engineering roles across North West this year.