‘CLASSY and comfortable’ Thornbury has once again been named one of the best towns to live in in the country.

Described as ‘perfect for commuters preferring a chocolate-box market town to a dull suburb’ Thornbury is the only town in Gloucestershire and one of only six in the South West to make this year’s 50 best towns and suburbs list in The Sunday Times.

This is not the first time the town has achieved such recognition on a national scale, being named in fourth position in 2013’s iteration.

This year’s list does not rank the towns included in the top 50 other than the best in the category which was awarded this year to Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire.

Guy Rawlinson, mayor of Thornbury, said: "This is about all the groups that make Thornbury the town it is.

"It has been a great year to represent the town," he added. "Going to all these functions has made me realise what makes Thornbury tick. This recognition in a national newspaper is just the icing on the cake."

Praise was heaped onto the town for its ‘day-to-day charm’, with the active cricket, rugby, tennis and football clubs leading to the description of Thornburians being ‘outdoorsy’.

Historic Thornbury Castle was also singled out, unsurprisingly, as the town’s landmark for a more relaxed break.

Big annual events including the town carnival and the upcoming arts festival featuring Bill Oddie and Samantha Bond helped the town once again get into the well-respected rankings.

David Goldring, organiser of Thornbury Carnival welcomed the recognition but said that it was 'a pity' that Thornbury in Bloom was not mentioned.

"It's nice that Thornbury has got this recognition," he said. "I'm pleased that they thought that the carnival made a positive effect on the town along with the arts festival but it's a shame that Thornbury in Bloom was not mentioned.

"This is a just acknowledgement of the town and it's nice to see Thornbury get recognised again for being such a great place to live and work in."

The Sunday Times Top 50 Best Towns and Suburbs list was published in the newspaper on Sunday, March 15.