A SURVEY placing Bolton as one of the top 20 most stressful places to live in has left council chiefs baffled.

Now Town Hall bosses have invited those who have compiled the survey to visit Bolton for themselves — adding it is a place where people want to live and work.

A survey compiled by TotallyMoney placed the town 17th in the country after looking at factors including finances, community time, job opportunities and crimes rates.

But the council has hit back saying they "don't recognise anything it says about the town".

The findings by TotallyMoney, however, describe Bolton as "dealing with a lack of jobs, suffering from a negative rate of job growth and one of the highest levels of unemployment benefit claimants in the country".

It stated: "Bolton was once a hub for textile manufacturing, but its fortunes have waned with the decline of the industry".

In Bolton job growth was -0.96 with those in work putting in 7.65 overtime per week and unemployment standing at 3.5 per cent; on average people spent 47 minutes commuting.

Joe Gardiner of TotallyMoney.com, said: "Poor access to credit and financial troubles are a big contributor when it comes to stress.

“We hope this research will help shine a light on the areas in which people can take control and reduce their stress levels."

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: "We’d like to invite the people who compiled this survey to come to Bolton, as we don’t recognise anything it says about the town.

"Bolton has a proud history of textiles manufacturing, but the town is now looking to the future, and is at the heart of the city region, with major investments happening across the town and steady growth in jobs.

"The employment rate is above regional averages and the number of people on benefits has decreased, whilst the number of people with higher levels of skills is increasing.

"At Logistics North, three major companies have already opened distribution centres (Aldi, Joy Global and MBDA), bringing 1,200 jobs to the town and Whistl will also be locating there, bringing the total jobs at this site to more than 2,000.

"Bolton is also investing in its town centre, with 30 full-time jobs also being created by RRG Group’s new state of the art car showroom on Manchester Road.

"There has also been investment in the Market Place Shopping Centre, including a new cinema and restaurants, which have also given jobs to people from the local area.

"A new Transport Interchange is also due to open in the summer, which will connect the town’s bus and rail services, as well as providing facilities for cyclists to commute.

"The town’s cultural life will be boosted by a £4.3m refurbishment of the town’s well-loved Octagon theatre.

"We are investing in infrastructure, transport and the public realm, as well as leisure and cultural attractions, to make Bolton a place where people want to live and work, now and in the future."

London was said to be the UK's most stressful city and Doncaster was described as the least stressed place in the county, out of 52 places.