There are more people called Nutter in Blackburn than anywhere else in the country, a new survey has revealed.

And while people across the country are ditching embarrassing surnames, one East Lancashire woman is still proud to be A Nutter!

A study carried out by the University College of London has recorded the disappearance of common local surnames over the past 100 years.

Names such as Cock, Bottom, Smellie and Pigg are all disappearing as their holders become increasingly embarrassed by them and change them by deed poll.

And there are now fewer Nutters in the Blackburn area than ever before - with numbers shrinking by 35 per cent.

Alison Nutter, 31, of Ravenscroft Close, Blackburn, is a Nutter not by nature but by marriage, after wedding husband Michael six years ago.

And she insisted: "I was a Blair before I got married - I'd definitely rather be a Nutter!"

She added: "When I first met Michael he wouldn't tell me what his surname was, so I had to sneak a look in his wallet. My friends were a bit concerned when I told them I had started going out with a Nutter!

"I like having the surname because it is unusual, especially as my documents have A Nutter' on them. People always have a laugh about it, which can be a bit rude if you have never met them before.

The couple have a four-year-old son, Charlie, and teachers at St Gabriel's Primary School will be pleased to know they will have a little Nutter starting in their class next week.

Michael, 34, is described by his wife as a bit of a lunatic' and has a penchant for sky diving and bungee jumping. He is an army instructor at Sandhurst, where his recruits call him Colour Sergeant Nutter. Michael added: "It just goes to show you can be a Nutter and still be successful."

The study shows that Nutters, or at least the surname, traditionally comes from Blackburn and the surrounding area.

Donald Nutter's family moved to Blackburn from Sabden shortly before he was born. He was one of eight children born into the Nutter household.

The 71-year-old great-grandfather, who lives in Green Lane, said: "There were no Nutters in Blackburn when I was born. Now there are 30 or 40 in my family alone! The women have always been sad to lose the name when they have got married. We are all very proud to be called it."

Famous residents with the surname include Pendle witch Alice Nutter, who was hanged in 1612 for murder, and Andrew Nutter, the celebrity chef from Rossendale.