'Burnley IS a great place to live' say town's supporters after voters declare it among top 50 worst places in the UK

Those are just some of the comments made in praise of Burnley, by leading figures in the town, in response to a damning poll that saw it voted among the top 50 worst places to live in the UK.

The town was ranked 38th in the top 50 places in the poll run by social media site iLiveHereUK.

The list, which is released each year, is compiled from thousands of votes after a poll conducted in November and December last year.

A huge 125,681 votes were recorded of 50 different towns and cities across the UK, focusing on the areas which are the worst to live, based on views from members of the public.

Residents sprang to the defence of Burnley pointing out that, while it may have its problem areas and challenges, like any other small town, it also has a lot going for it

The Mayor of Burnley Coun. Mark Townsend said that over generations the town had established a 'second to none' community spirit, resilience and 'never say die' approach to life.

He said: "Burnley is a town with an unrivalled heritage, a diverse place where people are proud to live and work together to build a better place, whether that’s businesses investing to establish a ‘world class Burnley’ to bring prosperity and growth, or the individuals and groups that make up the voluntary and faith sectors dedicating their passion and time to supporting the most vulnerable in our community.

"There is no better place to live, work, rest and play."

Burnley's MP Antony Higginbotham invited those who voted for Burnley as one of the worst places to live in the UK to come and visit the town to see for themselves how wrong they are.

Mr Higginbotham said: "I’m proud of Burnley and will always bang the drum for our area.

"Whatever this poll might say, we know that Burnley is a brilliant place, it's home.

"We’re surrounded by beautiful countryside, have fantastic parks, a leading college and we’ve just secured major investment to regenerate all the way from Trafalgar down to the Turf."

Burnley Express editor Chris Daggett believes the compilers of the survey must be 'having a laugh' and have probably never even been to Burnley.

He said: "Burnley has got so much going for it - a Premier League football team, beautiful countryside on its doorstep; one of the best colleges in the country, its own brewery and our very own stately home, Towneley Hall.

"And don't forget that in recent years Burnley has been named as the friendliest town in the country and the most enterprising town to boot."

For Sarah Drinkwater, who is Burnley Leisure operations manager, the best thing about Burnley is the people, whose enthusiasm and zest for life is 'infectious.'

Sarah said: "Working in the leisure industry I speak to people every day and they instantly put you in a good mood.

"It was inspiring to see the amount of volunteers and charity work that happened within Burnley and surrounding areas and to see people looking after each other, especially the vulnerable."

Sarah also pointed out there was a great deal of regeneration taking place in the town to attract more people to Burnley and having a team in the premiership was also a pull for supporters from all over the country who love to visit their 'happy place.'

Questioning the methodology of the survey Rachel Bayley who is Burnley Place Brand Manager, commented: "This survey comes out every year and I would personally question the methodology if you dig a little deeper into how it is conducted.

"However, I'm sure it is no surprise to hear that at Burnley.co.uk and burnley.social, we believe our borough is an incredible place to live. We would point the respondents of the survey to our social media pages and websites, where they can view our latest #madeitinburnley video series.

"Here, they will see some of the incredible people who have built a successful life in Burnley, from music producers working with Ellie Goulding to high-flying aerospace engineers.

"When you choose to live in Burnley, you can enjoy an incredibly affordable lifestyle, with independent bars, restaurants and shops on your doorstep, an array of property that would probably be out of reach for most of us if we lived further south, for example, and, of course, the stunning countryside we can explore within minutes."

Describing her hometown as a place that 'always has been and always will be resilient' Raynor Pepper, who is Burnley Markets assistant manager and marketing officer said Burnley had a bright future.

She said: " I will always back Burnley.

"Not only do the people shine but out of town business are flocking here, creating growth and jobs, our housing market is thriving and attracting people from out of town .

"The existing businesses are doing a fantastic job of continually supporting our town with different events and these events are attended by thousands of people who come from different areas."