PEOPLE living in an East Lancashire borough are among the happiest people in the UK, a new survey has revealed.

In a survey released by the Office for National Statistics, the Ribble Valley was announced as the eighth ‘happiest’ place in the UK to live.

The rural borough, which was also featured on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, was voted one of the county's happiest boroughs alongside Rushmoor in Hampshire, Copeland in Cumbria and Newry in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile the same study revealed that on a whole, people across Lancashire are feeling less happy than they were a year ago scoring 7.49 out of 10 on the happiness scale, below the national average of 7.52.

Silvia Manclossi, Head of Quality of Life Team, Office for National Statistics said: "For the first time, we have identified how factors such as health, access to services, and crime levels may affect how people rate their well-being in different parts of the UK.

"This can help local authorities to better understand where services could be targeted to help improve the well-being of individuals in their area."