Britain's unemployment rate fell to 3.8% in the three months to February, official figures showed on Tuesday.

A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to the jobless rate falling to 3.8% from a previous reading of 3.9%.

The number of job vacancies hit a fresh record high in the three months to March at 1.288 million, a reminder of the potential inflationary heat in the labour market that has the Bank of England on alert as it raises interest rates.

(Reporting by William Schomberg; editing by David Milliken)