More than one in 20 households in Northumberland have solar panels installed on their roofs, new figures show.

It comes as the number of people across the UK exploring alternative energy sources like solar power has soared this year, with more people installing solar panels in March than in any month since December 2015.

Friends of the Earth said the rise in solar panel installations is "really encouraging", with people motivated by rising energy prices and the falling cost of solar technology.

The latest MCS Data Dashboard data shows 9,844 households in Northumberland have solar panels installed on their property by MCS-certified companies as of June 9.

In the early 2010s, the electricity generated by domestic solar panels could be sold back to the national grid for a generous profit.

This feed-in tariff was cut at the end of 2015 and was closed to new customers in March 2019. As a result, barring a spike in March that year, installation numbers have been significantly reduced ever since December 2015 until this year.

Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said the increase in solar panel installations is down to soaring energy prices, lower installation costs and a "growing awareness about climate breakdown".