MORE than three quarters of the families in Marlborough donate to two or more charities a year making the town the most generous place in Britain, a national survey reveals.

At the other end of the scale, Erith in Kent is said to be the meanest.

In a poll of residents of nearly 600 UK towns, Marlborough won by half a per cent over Pulborough, in West Sussex, with Amersham, in Buckinghamshire, taking third place.

Marlborough Mayor Bill Cavill said he was pleasantly surprised at the result, but that during his 11 months in office he had become aware of the enormous amount of time that local people devote to charity work.

Coun Cavill said the continuing demand for retirement homes in Marlborough has given the town a higher than average percentage of elderly residents, many of them well off.

He said: "Many have plenty of money and can afford to give generously."

Bill Spray, who headed the Savernake Hospital Inquiry Fund Trust that raised more than £30,000 for a survey proving the hospital had a future, said: "Marlborough has always been an extremely generous community especially when it comes to giving for community projects."