More than seven out of ten serving West Midlands police officers say they would NOT recommend a career in the force to other people.

Low pay and a growing workload are highlighted as problems which make policing a poor career choice.

The poor morale situation in Midland police forces was revealed in a survey by the Police Federation, which trade union for officers.

It found 74.9% of officers in West Midlands Police said they would not recommend joining the police to others.

And 88.4% said they did not feel fairly paid for the stresses and strains of their job.

The survey found 72% of officers reported their workload had increased over the past 12 months,

However, most cops were planning to stay in the force, with 13.8% saying they planned to leave in the next two years.

Nationally, the federation’s annual pay and morale survey also found that more than one in ten officers say their meagre salaries mean they cannot afford to pay for essential items.

Ashley Bertie, assistant Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Police, said: "This highlights the huge pressures that officers are under.

"The threats that West Midlands Police are dealing with are more complex and higher than ever. Due to massive government cuts we have fewer people doing more work. The huge level of cuts have put officers under greater pressure than ever before.

"These figures are a cause for concern and that is why we have greatly increased the support we give to officers and staff and have driven efficiencies to increase officer recruitment to 800.

"The government should listen to rank and file officers and the pressures that they are under and change course on police funding."

Police pay has been limited by the Government’s policy of limiting annual increases to 1%, which is below the rate of inflation and means pay is cut in real terms.

Cuts to police budgets have also meant the number of officers has fallen, which may contribute to an increased workload.

The number of officers employed by West Midlands Police has been reduced by 2,000 over the past seven years while the force has lost a quarter of its budget.