SOUTHAMPTON has been named as one of the “pub capitals” of the UK.

The city has been listed in the top 10 areas, outside of London, for the number of bars it has relative to its size.

According to a new study Southampton has 172 pubs, the equivalent of nine per square mile – putting it on par with Manchester and Nottingham.

But the city was left behind Portsmouth, which topped the table with 12 pubs per square mile, beating Liverpool, with 11 and Bristol with 10.

Southampton City Council’s cabinet member for Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Leisure, Satvir Kaur, said: “It’s really great to come within the top 10 in the country.

“In Southampton we pride ourselves on having really great pubs.

“They are an important part of city life in Southampton and are about so much more than just drinking – they are an important part of the community as well.”

Cllr Kaur, who named The Hobbit, in Bevois, and The Cricketers, in Carlton Place, among her favourite pubs, said: “I think a few years ago we would have been first. Unfortunately, over recent years, we’ve lost a lot of good pubs.”

She added the council would continue to encourage people in the city who want to protect their local pubs to sign up to consider applying for an Asset of Community Value Scheme (ACV).

The scheme, introduced by the Conservative government in 2011, gives a building added protection from development.

Another to comment on Southampton’s success was owner of Dancing Man Brewery, Mandy Lacey-Cross.

She said: “We’ve got some great pubs in Southampton. They are incredibly important part of the city and bring together people from different age groups

Mrs Lacey-Cross, whose businesses celebrates its third birthday in February, added: “It’s been a great experience.”

The study was led by consultancy firm Aira, in conjunction with Liberty Games – a UK-based retailer, distributor and designer of games room equipment.

The companies analysed 51,566 pubs across the country using data from the Food Standard Agency and the Office of National Statistics.

From that, the companies worked out the number of pubs per square mile in each location and ranked them accordingly.

Cities outside the top 10 include neighbouring Bournemouth, with six pubs per square mile, as well as Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Glasgow, also both with six pubs per square mile.

London was split into boroughs, with the City of London coming top with 245 pubs – the equivalent of 219 pubs per square mile.