Retirement boom among UK’s older workers creates economic headache

Wyre Forest in the West Midlands has seen a huge jump in the economically inactive', many of them affluent older people, but the dearth of workers is a real problem for employers

I always laughed at people who said they'd never been so busy since they retired," says David Richards, mopping his brow as he takes a break from the fast-paced game at Wyre Forest Leisure Centre near Kidderminster.

At 58, the retired GP from nearby Bewdley is among the younger players in this midweek morning game of pickleball - a cross between tennis and badminton that is growing rapidly in popularity across Britain.