HIGH earning workers in the borough helped push the area in to the top ten in a survey of UK pay.

On average, wage earners pocketed £34,500, just £200 less than Londoners, and £10,000 more than residents in neighbouring Stockport.

The borough is sixth out of 100 ranked towns and cities. Top is St Albans, where well-heeled workers bring home an average of £43,500.

In fifth place is London, behind (in descending order) Wokingham, Guildford, Windsor and St Albans.

The survey, released by chartered accountants UHY Hacker Young, and based on HM Revenue and Customs data, covers the 2006-7 tax year and so pre-dates the recession.

Peter Howard, Jobcentre Plus manager, said: "These figures show it is not all doom and gloom in the local jobs market. There are still around 759 unfilled vacancies in Macclesfield including many professional jobs.

Residents in the Macclesfield area earn over £10,000 more than the average UK wage (£24,292), according to the statistics.

Mancunians fall below the average, at just £20,300 (in 76th place), with Hull rock bottom on £17,300.

In the battle between Cheshire East and West, Chester comes out second best on £28,800 (13th place overall).

Pay also appears steady as it was just just £100 less in 2005-6.

Unfortunately £7,380 of that (increasing to £7,540 in the latest figures) went straight to the taxman in income tax.

Mr Howard believes jobs are still there to be had in the area.

"Despite the difficult economic climate, our records show most people are still getting back to work quickly with 75 per cent moving off jobseekers allowance within six months," he said.

UHY Hacker Young report that the average UK wage has increased by 15.2 pc in the past four years.

Cheshire East council leader Wesley Fitzgerald said: "This isnt a surprise. The presence of AstraZeneca adds enormously to this and Prestbury will skew the figures.

"But the recession is no respecter of business size and even larger businesses are now feeling the pinch. We aren’t immune to it in Macclesfield.

"Going right back to Victorian times, the triangle of Wilmslow, Prestbury and Alderley Edge has always been a favourite place for captains of industry across the whole of the North West to live."