THE Force is strong in Southampton with more Jedis here than in most other UK cities.

Almost 1,400 Sotonians identified their religion as 'Jedi Knight' in the most recent government census.

But that number could be growing fast as the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has sent membership soaring with more than 1,000 new people declaring themselves as Jedis each week.

Rather than taking up residence in the Millennium Falcon, the majority of British Jedis have stepped off their starfighters in Leeds with 2,812 people stating it as their religion.

Other top cities for Jedis to live include Brighton and Hove with 2,636 Jedi residents, Bristol with 2,310 and Birmingham with 2,238.

But Southampton was not far behind with 1,388 - making it the 10th most popular city for Jedis.

The ancient church's UK-based branch was founded by Daniel Jones in 2008 after thousands stated their religion as Jedi on the 2001 census after a national campaign. Since then it has drawn in Star Wars fans from across the globe including celebrities like actor Warwick Davis and presenter Gail Porter.

Members of the 'church' must complete a short training programme and subscribing to the newsletter.

They can then rise up the Order and choose to go on to become a minister after further training on the Jedi Code and how to properly utilise the Force.

While the UK-based church states that most Jedis have been trained in some form of combat, they say it is not necessary for a Jedi to learn this as they believe it is the Force that binds them.

They also stress that they do not believe the Star Wars storylines are true, but say they simply take inspiration from the films and the actions of characters.