‘WE love Wrexham – and we’re not going anywhere!’

That is the response from residents to claims the town is one of worst places to live in the UK.

Business and council bosses – and even a sports star from Down Under – have rubbished research that says people are so fed up they would consider emigrating.

The government of South Australia is currently running a high-profile campaign to lure bored Brits to the sunshine state.

Part of this is research claiming Wrexham has a large number of people desperate to leave because they don’t like where they live or work.

And the Aussies suggest they should move Down Under to take up more exciting jobs such as koala catcher, beer taster, shark tagger and even kangaroo poo collector.

The research by www.OnePoll.com says an estimated 60 per cent of British employees are bored with their jobs and almost three-quarters never leave their office during work hours.

Among the most disgruntled are said to be those in Wrexham and Coventry, identified by the study as the worst places to work in Britain based on wages and social life.

The survey revealed the most boring job sectors to be electronics, administration, retail and call centre work.

South Australia is hoping to tempt 18 to 30-year-olds with the promise of the ‘ultimate work-life balance’.

But Wrexham Council leader Aled Roberts was quick to defend the town.

He said: “I’ve lived here all my life and I am perfectly happy.

“Many people say Wrexham is a great place to live and work.

“Some people you speak to sometimes have their grumbles that things could be better but the vast majority of people like living here.

“Our research with industrialists shows that the quality of life is as good, if not better, than anywhere else in the UK.

“Within easy reach of Wrexham we have the countryside and the coast and both Liverpool and Manchester are close by offering a whole range of leisure
possibilities.”

He added: “It all depends how this research was done.

“If people are asked about the area after a bad day at work they are going to say they are fed up.

“It’s always best to treat research such as this with a little bit of caution.”

Leigh Hayward, a director of Wrexham’s Wingetts estate agents, said: “We have a big rentals department and get a lot of people relocating to Wrexham who don’t know the area.

“They all seem very pleasantly surprised about what it has to offer.”

He added: “We help a lot of medical people who come to work at the Maelor hospital on short-term contracts to find somewhere to live.

“When they move out of the area again we have never had any negative comeback from them.”

Vince Mellars moved to the area from New Zealand to play for rugby super league team Crusaders at the start of the 2010 season.

Mellars, 26, previously played in both Australia and New Zealand.

He said: “I love living in Wrexham. When we first arrived we didn’t know the area but the people have made me and my family feel very welcome.

“We have made lots of friends since we arrived here and they have made it very easy for us to settle in.

“There is plenty to do and see and the whole team has received amazing support.”

South Australia’s London-based agent general, Bill Muirhead, whose office commissioned the report, said: “Life seems to be dealing workers a rough hand at the moment. Not even the recent sunny weather managed to cheer up the Brits.”

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