A SURVEY by the Office for National Statistics has revealed Barrow is one of the least happy towns in the UK.

Barrow was the sixth worst town for happiness out of 392 towns when participants were asked "On a scale of 1-10 where 0 is not at all happy and 10 is completely happy how happy were you yesterday?"

South Lakeland was slightly better in 342nd place while Copeland was 300th.

The average response was 7.17 compared to the worst Surrey Heath (6.71) and the best Ribble Valley in Lancashire (8.3).

Barrovians also reported being among the least worthwhile with just three other towns feeling less worthwhile. Copeland was fairly average in 101st place while South Lakeland was ranked 277th.

Barrow also scored low for satisfaction. The town was placed 319 out of 392. South Lakeland was 214th while Copeland was 102nd.

However, the results also reveal Barrow is one of the least anxious towns in the UK, with just 13 towns beating Barrow's average score of 2.29. South Lakeland came 34th while Copeland was one of the worst in 310th place out of 392 local authorities.

Margaret Burrow from the Barrow and District Disability Association said while she wasn't surprised at the results but believes it is wrong to make sweeping statements.

“The number of people that are needing help and support is much higher than we would expect," she said.

“However I do think it’s very wrong to generalise everyone as unhappy.

“It’s unfair to label the whole of Barrow as unhappy.

“There are a lot of happy people in Barrow and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

Some readers disagreed with the findings on Facebook.

Jessie Critch said: "Barrow has lovely beaches. I’ve just moved from Barrow to Wallasey and I love going home.

Meanwhile Sheila Drewery said: "One has to be happy with their lot and with themselves."

Greg Rose added: "I'm happy to be back after living away for 26 years."