East Midlands

The East Midlands is being hit, like other regions, by the economic recession but which areas will suffer the most?

BBC Inside Out took a tour of the region's towns and cities to find the most recession proof areas and the least, using the University of Oxford Business School's Vulnerabilty Index.

Recession proof?

Inside Out found that one of the most recession proof towns is likely to be Corby in Northants, an area which suffered badly in the 1980s downturn with hefty job losses in traditional industries including steel.

Since then Corby has invested heavily in small businesses, new developments and regeneration projects, making it less vulnerable to recession.

Closing down - economic meltdown?

By comparison Mansfield, Nottingham and Leicester could face a gloomy fiscal future.

Cities like Nottingham have borne the brunt of job losses in global companies and are also witnessing plummeting property prices and the slowdown of regeneration developments.

So which town is top of the credit crunch hotspots?

Surprisingly it's Blaby in Leicestershire. The town has a large pool of skilled workers in the service industries - a sector which is particularly at risk in the current economic downturn.

But wherever you live in the East Midlands it's an uncertain time for everyone...