IT'S official - Macclesfield people are some of the wealthiest in the North West.
The town was only pipped to the post in the region's affluence league table by the Tatton area, home of celebrities such as Posh and Becks who have moved to Nether Alderley, and various soapstars.
A survey by Barclays into the "Affluentials 2002" shows that seven per cent of Macclesfield residents earn £60,000 or more.
Cheshire dominates the top four places in the league table, which is based on parliamentary constituencies.
Macclesfield includes places such as Mottram St Andrew and Prestbury where houses regularly sell for more than £1million. In Macclesfield town itself homes are going for up to £300,000.
Edward Naden, managing director of estate agents Holmes Naden, which has offices in Prestbury and Bollington, said there were definitely a lot of wealthy people around in the Macclesfield area.
He said: "We have never had as many buyers on our books wanting houses between £1million and £5million."
A spokesman for Prestbury Travel Group said the area may have a lot of wealthy people but customers still looked for a bargain holiday.
She said: "However, we do get a lot of people doing luxury cruises and our clients tend to take three or four holidays a year when one or two a year is more normal."
The constituency also includes Henbury Hall, home of the De Ferranti family. Heir to the fortune Hugo De Ferranti, 42, was recently listed by Tatler Magazine as one of the 20 most eligible men in Britain. Mottram St Andrew is also home to millionaire bookie Selwyn Demmy.
Tatton, the wealthiest constituency in Cheshire, according to the survey, includes Chelford, where haulage company Irlams is based.
The firm, with a fleet of more than 350 distinctive red trucks, has put the Irlam family on to the UK's richest list for the first time this year.
The family has an estimated wealth of £60 million, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
