MORE people than ever before went under the knife in Worcester last year in a search for the body beautiful.

Nationally, the number of people opting for cosmetic surgery increased by more than a third to 22,041, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). In Worcester, the number of people undergoing everything from boob jobs to brow lifts at BUPA's South Bank Hospital on Bath Road rose five per cent.

A spokeswoman for the Droitwich Spa Private Hospital said the number of people having plastic surgery remained roughly the same in 2004 and 2005.

"However, there have been a lot more enquiries recently," she added.