THERE is one pub for every 1,430.2 people in Swindon, according to a new survey.

UpMyStreet, an internet service which carries information about pubs and clubs nationwide, has done an audit of the number of pubs per head of population across the country.

And despite the complaints of some people in Swindon that the town centre in particular is becoming overwhelmed by pubs, it is only in 273rd place out of the 408 communities covered.

Top of the league is the City of London, where there is one pub for every 30.4 stockbrokers and bankers.

At the other end of the scale, if everybody in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham decided to go to the pub at the same time, there would be 6,319.2 in each of the 26 venues.

The website based conclusions about Swindon on a population of 180,200 and a total of 126 pubs in the borough.

Julia Graham, the site's commercial director, said: "A third of us will travel to unfamiliar places this Christmas, with the in-laws and relatives.

"And while it's great to get together, even the merriest person needs a break from the madness that often ensues.

"All would-be escapees need to do is log on to our Find my Nearest Pub locator and type in the postcode to find the nearest pub and quickest escape route."

The site is at www.UpMyStreet.com