Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran help British artists dominate 2014 UK album sales

Over half of the albums sold in the UK last year were made by British artists.

British Phonographic Industry (BPI) have confirmed that 53.5% of all UK record sales were of local music.

The likes of Sam Smith's 'In The Lonely Hour' and Ed Sheeran's 'x' helped to support this figure.

It is the highest percentage of British artist sales in the UK since 1997 - a year when the Spice Girls and Oasis dominated the charts.

Only five US artists made it into the top twenty albums in the UK last year, with Taylor Swift the top-selling international star.

Paloma Faith meanwhile is the only female artist to make it into the list's top ten.

BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor commented: "The strongest performance by UK artists since the Britpop era shows that this country has great strength not only in talented musicians, but also in innovative record labels that invest in nurturing their careers."

Watch Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran in action below: