NORTH Yorkshire has long been regarded as God's own county by the people who live there.

Now, thanks to the congestion, pollution and chav phenomenon associated with Kent, it has been named as the rightful Garden of England.

North Yorkshire came top in a poll of 4,000 people commissioned by UKTV Style Gardens.

The study asked a panel of gardening experts including Diarmuid Gavin, Tommy Walsh, Chris Collins and Charlie Dimmock to assemble a shortlist of the twelve most beautiful counties in England.

The completed shortlist was then put to the public. Key criteria included breathtaking countryside, undiscovered treasures, traditional English villages and the variety of wildlife.

North Yorkshire, with its two National Parks and world heritage site at Fountains Abbey, beat its nearest rival Devon by almost ten per cent, taking 31.1 per cent of the vote.

Kent, traditionally known as the Garden of England, still made an appearance in the top five most beautiful counties with 5.2 per cent of the vote.

Those polled felt that it was slipping down the ranks due to congestion, pollution and the adverse effects of too much building.

Kent's fall in popularity was also put down to chavs. It has been claimed that Kent is the spiritual home of the chav with the name said to derive from the Kent town of Chatham.

John Blackie, county councillor for the Upper Dales and leader of Richmondshire District Council, said people living in North Yorkshire know how fortunate they are.

"We are perhaps lucky that we have that distance from London," he said. "And by Jove we make the most of it."

Simon Bassindale, North York Moors ranger, said the walk to the famous landmark of Sutton Bank was one of the most popular in the National Park.

He added: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but for me, North Yorkshire is the place to be.

"In the Moors we have such a wide range of landscapes. You can take a short trip of 40 miles from west to east and go from Sutton Bank, through steep sided valleys and then on to the open moorland before you get to the coast."

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