WHEN it comes to getting fruity, some folk in the region simply can't get enough - unlike their stodgy northern neighbours.

The North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate can boast the fourth highest consumption of fresh or dried fruit and vegetables in England and Wales.

Meanwhile, Sunderland salad dodgers are just behind Blackburn and Rochdale as having the lowest intake of fruit and veg, according to a survey of 100 towns and cities.

People in Sunderland bought only 1.94 portions of fruit and veg per day compared to the national average of 2.9 items. Rochdale finished last with 1.91 portions.

Shoppers in Harrogate were towards the top of the league table, buying 3.85 portions per day. Rival spa town Bath topped the list with 3.92.

However, all 100 towns and cities surveyed fell short of the Government's recommended daily intake of five portions of fruit or vegetables.

David Smith, marketing director of snack firm Whitworths, which carried out the survey, said: "Whilst there is undoubtedly much greater interest in healthy eating these days, many people find it hard to cut down on high fat, high salt foods.

"The study has been quite alarming.''

The league table was produced by analysing sales data from 259 stores across England and Wales.

Those figures were then translated into average portions of fresh and dried fruit and vegetables, then divided by the populations served by the supermarkets.