Richmond upon Thames has been revealed as the sportiest borough in the country in a Sport England survey.

More than 50 per cent of residents who took part said they carry out physical activity at least once a week.

The figure marks a one per cent increase on last year’s findings.

The Active People survey also found 52 per cent of 14 to 16-year-olds take part in sport once a week.

According to the feedback roughly 33 per cent of people in the borough do no physical exercise at all.

Council cabinet member for sport Councillor Meena Bond said: “We are proud to have some of the fittest and most active residents in the country.

“We pride ourselves in our investment in sport and leisure activities – helping residents stay fit and healthy.

"In our borough alone we have 66 playing pitches, 58 tennis courts, and four bowling greens.

"There are also more than 200 sports clubs with an estimated 32,500 members and Richmond Council provides superb sports facilities which have swimming pools and gyms and have an annual attendance which exceeds one million visits.

“This investment is paid off when you see that our residents live the longest in the UK and our obesity levels are low.

“But we won’t rest on our laurels and we will continue to strive to increase residents’ participation in sport by 1% each year. “