Keighley has been named among the top fastest growing wealth spots in the UK.

The investigation, which looked at growth in people's earnings, puts the area fifth nationally.

The Affluentials 2004 survey, by Barclays Financial Planning, reveals that nearly 5.2 per cent of people in the area are earning £60,000 or more.

And salaries have rocketed over the past 12 months, with a 64 per cent increase in workers earning £60,000 or over than they were the year previously.

The investigation focused on the parliamentary constituencies and included Ilkley in the Keighley catchment. The Wharfedale town has the highest number of millionaires outside London, a recent survey revealed.

But Keighley is bucking the trend, especially by maintaining engineering manufacturing levels, in contrast to the slump in manufacturing in the rest of the country over the period of the Labour Government.

Councillor Andrew Mallinson said Keighley was benefiting from investment -- including the Single Regeneration Budget --- over the last ten years.

It was reflected in an improved town centre, in housing and the £25 million to be invested in a new Keighley College campus.

"Keighley has shown it has an ability to bounce back from the bad old days of high unemployment and poor education and a grotty town centre," he said.

"That confidence is bringing people back into town. A lot of investors are looking at more rural areas to give their workforce a pleasant area in which to live and work."

Mick Milner, of the Airedale Partnership, said there had been considerable improvement in Keighley.

"Engineering manufacturing in Keighley is continuing to buck the trend.

"But Keighley can't be looked at in isolation -- for it to grow it has to be looked at as part of the whole of Airedale," he said.

The High Peak, in Derbyshire, sandwiched between Manchester and Sheffield, came out top, followed by Monmouth, Cardiff north, Manchester Withington and Keighley.

Beverley, Holderness and Richmond, in Yorkshire, were also in the top 20.

Kensington and Chelsea, in London, have the highest proportion with 16.4 per cent of £60,000 plus earners.

Steven Mendel, business development director for Barclays, said: "The most remarkable aspect is that the highest growth areas are now outside London."

Research was based on eight million Barclays current account customers according to parliamentary constituencies.