A NATIONAL survey has revealed that Halton is a better place to live than the millionaire's playground of London's Kensington and Chelsea.

While Runcorn and Widnes cannot boast as many celebrities, expensive restaurants and top nightclubs as the the royal metropolitan borough, we still have a higher quality of life, according to credit check agency Experian.

The company drew up a league table of all England and Wales's local authority areas. Each area was ranked according to the number of shops and leisure facilities it has, its unemployment figures, the weekly disposable income per household, house prices, number of cars owned by residents, the quality of local schools, car theft and burglary rates and the density of population.

Halton came in at 296 on the list -­ two places above Kensington and Chelsea.

Halton also beat all the other Merseyside local authorities, including the prosperous Wirral.

Widnes and Runcorn also scored a massive 70 places higher than the trendy north London borough of Islington ­- home to Arsenal Football Club and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

And near neighbours Liverpool and Manchester could only score 368 and 363 respectively, while Warrington made it to 189.

While well-heeled Chelsea residents can point to their millionaire-filled soccer team's magnificent Stamford Bridge ground, Halton locals can point out that Runcorn FC Halton play at the magnificent Auto Quest Stadium in Widnes.

But while Widnes has the Green Oaks shopping centre and Runcorn boasts Halton Lea, neither of them is quite up to the standards of the famous boutiques along the Kings Road in Chelsea.

Halton council leader Tony McDermott said he was delighted Halton had scored so highly.

He said: 'I have always said Halton has a lot going for it and this is proof of that. When you live somewhere it is very easy to see the place in its worst light but now we have had confirmation from outside that Halton is certainly going places.'