BOAT races on the River Ribble, the strains of Inspector Morse's classical music collection filling the streets of Preston?

Unfortunately, Preston's University of Central Lancashire doesn't have the same attributes as Oxford and Cambridge, but despite all that, it has rocketed ahead in the popularity stakes.

According to a new nationwide Internet poll of more than 12,000 students, Preston's undergraduates believed their campus to be among the best in the country.

The fun statistics revealed that in UCLa scored well in 11 of the 12 categories.

Students felt accommodation, service from the student union, quality of teaching and sporting facilities were top class, compared to their Southern counterparts.

But while Preston's male students were deemed to be the seventh most attractive in the nation, the poll slammed the town's female students - placing them 104 out of 105 institutions.

But the overall statistics, compiled by the Red Mole Internet site, fly in the face of a review published in a guide to the country's higher education establishments.

As reported in the Citizen, students and university bosses alike had been left fuming by the review in The Push Guide To Universities.

But they are much happier with these results.

A university spokesman said: "We are very pleased with the very high ratings we received in the various categories.

"It is particularly encouraging to see us performing well when you consider that this poll has been conducted by students, for students, who are the best people to talk about the standard of their university."

A student union spokesman said: "Oxford and Cambridge are two of the old institutions, whereas we are one of the new, up and coming universities.

"But this survey does show we are more responsive to students needs.

"But I am sure the figure for women is wrong!"

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