SWINDON emerged with flying colours in a new profile put together by the Department of Health.

Figures released today reveal that people from the town are leaner, greener and less accident prone than those living elsewhere in the country.

The statistics have been used to create a health profile for the town and show that Swindon is significantly better than the country's average for obesity and the ecological footprint.

The town also saw 2,789 violent crimes committed last year, which is 15 for every 1,000 people living in the area. Although more crimes were committed than last year the crime rate was still "significantly better than the England average".

Swindon's general health, alcohol-induced hospital stays and mental health were all better than the national average, and had improved since last year.

However, the town cannot rest on its laurels, with figures also revealing that we score worse than average in GSCEs and that the number of teenage pregnancies are on the increase.

Commenting on the profiles, the Government's Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said: "These profiles show the nation's health is improving but there is still more work to do.

"Information about health and wellbeing in your local area is essential for assessing the needs of the local population and monitoring how well health improvement strategies are working.

"We already know 10m adults smoke but knowing where the local problem areas are helps target quit smoking programmes effectively."

The numbers showed 27.7 per cent of Swindon's adults smoke, which is slightly higher than the national average. But fewer residents were binge drinking. The town scored average results for healthy eating and keeping fit.

Swindon was one of the local authorities in the top 25 per cent for obesity rates, with 19.6 per cent of the town dangerously overweight.

The statistics showed men in Swindon live to an average of 77.4 years old and women to 80.7 years old.

But there was more than five years difference between the life expectancy of people in the town's wealthiest areas, like Abbey Meads, Haydon Wick, Old Town and Lawn, compared with the most deprived areas, Penhill Parks and the town centre.

Council leader Rod Bluh said: "This report paints a positive picture about many of the key factors in Swindon which are vital for people's quality of life. We are either doing as well as the average or in many cases significantly better, for instance in areas such as violent crime and the level of road casualties. The areas which have been highlighted as being worse than they should be - GCSE achievement and teenage pregnancy - we are fully aware of and are taking concrete steps to tackle. I'm confident we'll see better results in these areas in time.

"Overall it shows that while there are some things we know need improvement, in many areas we are doing pretty well as a town and this is positive for the future."