A SCIENTIFIC survey could be about to confirm what we already suspected -- Boltonians are the friendliest people in Britain.

Preliminary results of a nationwide study investigating people's attitudes to others have found the town top for helpfulness, courtesy and consideration.

The Internet-based study by the British Association For The Advancement of Science gave Bolton a friendliness rating of 68 per cent, three per cent ahead of nearest rival Manchester.

Visitors to the www.howfriendly.com site are being asked to rate where they live by answering a series of questions.

Examples include whether people they encountered would be likely to help someone overloaded with shopping, or invite a new work colleague out to lunch.

The survey's designer, psychometrics expert Dr Mike Smith of UMIST, is keen to stress that it is no a gimmick but a proper experiment.

He said: "The questionnaire was devised according to the best scientific principles and is being analysed using a statistical computer package. It's about as scientific as it gets.

"Of course, it's early days yet -- but Bolton is in the lead by a fairly significant margin."

Deputy mayor Cllr John Walsh said the findings came as no surprise.

He said: "As the town's mayor last year, the number of times I received a really warm reception wherever I went showed how friendly the town is.

"During the Commonwealth Games events we hosted, so many of the competitors and officials from other countries commented how warm the welcome was.

"People here are prepared to help others, which is something I found out through the mayor's charity. That's why it's important that Bolton keeps its identity and isn't subsumed into Greater Manchester."

A spokesman for the council's tourism department said the hospitality of Bolton people was seen as a key factor in attracting tourists to the town. She said: "We have done surveys about visitors' perceptions of the town and the friendliness of the population comes across time and time again."

Thousands of people have already filled in the online questionnaire. The results will be formally announced next month.

The survey is sponsored by the North West Development Agency, which is confident the North-west will be proved the friendliest region in Britain.

The questionnaire has been launched as part of the run-up to the BA Festival of Science 2003, from September 8 to 12, the UK's largest science festival, this year taking place at the University of Salford.

Do you think Bolton deserves its "friendliest" tag? Write to: Letters, Bolton Evening News, Churchgate, Bolton, or e-mail: Drop a line...Click here...