A TOWN once famous for keeping the world’s locomotives well-oiled is now slick with oil of another kind: beard oil.

Swindon has made the global top 500 towns and cities for hipsters – the trendy set sometimes mocked for their thick glasses, shiny beards and love of avocados.

The list, compiled by relocation website Move Homes, calculated each town and city’s hipster rating by looking at the number of vegan cafés, coffee shops, tattoo parlours, “vintage boutiques” and record stores.

Brighton claimed the top spot, ahead of cool cities like London and the USA’s Portland. Swindon came 320th out of a 500-strong-list, in front of Slough and Birmingham.

On Twitter, Swindon Borough Council taunted their less-hip counterparts, recommending they bulk up on avocado and bacon sandwiches.

Alex Pollock, owner of an Old Town social media agency, called Swindon’s success a “good sign of the times”.

“I’d like to think Old Town helps to play a part in this for Swindon: micro-businesses, independent stores, awesome eateries, lots of cocktail hang-outs and plenty of flat whites to go round.”