In the leafy suburbs of Guiseley and Yeadon live England and Wales's most average people with the most average cars and homes.

Well, that's according to statistics taken from the latest Census.

Statisticians at the Office of National Statistics have revealed that according to the 2001 survey many aspects of people's lives in Aireborough match national averages.

The Aireborough ward, which comprises Guiseley, Yeadon and part of Rawdon, matches the averages for age, home and car ownership, religion, ethnicity and marital status.

Out of more than 8,000 council wards, Aireborough is the most average.

The "averageness" of the area was based an calculations with figures taken from statistics from each of the wards.

But today Aireborough shop owners and residents said Guiseley and Yeadon were anything but the norm.

Instead of seeing the area as boring and dull, they described it as busy, familiar and interesting.

Cherie Sharpe, pictured, who has run fancy dress shop Dress Circle for a year in Yeadon, said the town was "buzzing".

She said: "I live in Otley and had a shop there for 14 years before coming over here and what a difference there is in this place.

"Average is certainly not a nice word and it doesn't do justice to Yeadon.

"Everyone knows each other and importantly everyone gets on with each other. I love it here and we all have a great time."

Mrs Sharpe said she'd had various groups, including golfers wanting to dress up for a charity dinner, in the shop in the past week.

Kathryn Cilia-La Corte , 52, a receptionist at Dacre, Son and Hartley estate agents in Guiseley, said: "There's quite a lot of things here and there's everything you need.

"I lived away for 20 years and targeted this area to come back when the family wanted to."

Yorkshire and Humber MEP David Bowe, who lives in Aireborough, said he loved being a "Mr Average".

He said: "Sorry to be boring and average but as far as I'm concerned the survey shows Aireborough to be a good solid place to live and work.

"If you weigh it all up, British society does not appear to be collapsing as some would have it - just take a close look at the statistics and in Aireborough traditional values are very much alive and well."

Chris Banting, 20, assistant manager of The Station pub in Guiseley, said: "The people in Guiseley are great and there's never any trouble. It's a pleasant little place and I wouldn't call it average."

Yeadon man Richard Glendinning, who runs C and R Trading in the town, said: "There's an airport in the town and with its expansion there's more people coming. We've got people coming in and doing some plane spotting or enjoying the tarn."

And Mohinder Birdi, 49, who has run a market stall in Yeadon for 20 years, said: "This is a pretty little place and the people are fine.

"But I think we've lost a lot of traders to big shopping centres."

But butcher Mark Woods, 24, an employee at Guiseley family butchers, Tony Woods, said: "Guiseley's pretty but there isn't enough for the young to do. It could do with a bowling alley or a cinema."