PEOPLE living in communities labelled "mean" in a survey of charity donation across the country sprang to their defence yesterday.

Four North-East towns emerged among the ten least generous places in a survey of the amount given to charity per household nationwide.

Market research company Claritas Acxiom came up with the findings based on the percentage of households that gave to two or more charities per year.

The people of the Wiltshire market town of Marlborough came out top in the charity-giving league table, with 76.5 claiming to make two or more donations to good causes per-annum.

None of the rest of the top ten, virtually exclusively in the Home Counties and on the South Coast, were in the North-East or North Yorkshire.

But Stanley and Shildon, in County Durham, along with the South Tyneside towns of South Shields and Jarrow, figured among the ten "least giving" communities in the survey.

Erith, in Kent, was ranked least generous, with only 43.9 per cent of households giving to two or more charities a year, closely followed by South Shields, with 45.8.

Stanley was fifth from bottom, with 47.5 per cent, Jarrow was next up the list, on 47.9 per cent, while Shildon just sneaked into the bottom ten, with 49.1 per cent.

But the survey's value was questioned in some quarters of the region yesterday.

Former rail wagonworks employee John Quigley, born, bred and still living in Shildon, represents the town's south-west ward on Durham County Council.

He said comparisons between some of the communities at the top of the survey with places which have suffered economic hardships, like Shildon, were unfair.

"People in Shildon are as generous as anywhere. Whenever I've been involved in any appeals, I have found they are well-supported," he said.

"When the wagon works closed, 3,500 people lost their jobs and any community would find it hard to overcome that."

Similar sentiments were aired by David Broadley, who represents Stanley Hall ward on Derwentside District Council.

"Members of my family have only recently been involved in fundraising for memorial to the Burns Pit Disaster and people have been very generous," he said.

"Their generosity is not just with money, but with their time, help and support, which in many ways is even more important."

Marty Walsh, South Shields-born but who lived in Jarrow for many years, said collections he been involved with, on behalf of South Tyneside Ex-Service Veterans, had been well-supported.