RAISE your glasses - Southampton publicans serve better pints than anywhere else in the UK.

Research undertaken by beer experts at the national Cask Marque organisation supped pints at more than 2,000 pubs countrywide and nowhere could they get better booze than in Southampton.

The news is sure to bring smiles to the faces of local people after a recent national survey claimed they were the most miserable people in the country.

Last week, the Daily Echo reported that Southampton topped the misery-guts league after 2,000 people across the UK were quizzed about how happy they felt and how often they smiled.

In response we started our Reasons To Be Cheerful campaign in a bid to put a smile on people's faces in the city.

The results of this latest survey are more proof that there is plenty to be happy about in Southampton - which boasts 21 Cask Marque accredited pubs.

Quality Inspectors from Cask Marque receive hundreds of applications for a prestigious quality award every year.

In Southampton more pubs receive the award first time round than anywhere else in the UK - beating other high scorers Leicester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Portsmouth.

Inspectors - who visit pubs anonymously - check cask beer for temperature, appearance, aroma and taste. Southampton publicans receive exceptional scores in every category.

Cask Marque director, Paul Nunny, said: "This is great news for beer lovers in Southampton and a fantastic achievement by the city's licensees.

"There is nothing more satisfying than a well kept and perfectly presented pint of cask ale, and local pubs are clearly setting a very high standard in this field.

"Quality counts in the eye of the customer and when pints are served too warm or past their prime, pubs run the risk of losing sales.

"Cask ale is unique to British pubs. It's a fresh, living product that requires loving care and attention from the licensee right up until the point where it's served.

"The Cask Marque accreditation scheme rewards excellence in the storage and presentation of cask ale. Pubs are assessed twice a year and the top performers are presented with the prestigious Cask Masque plaque - a sure sign of a great pint."

Eileen Taylor, landlady at the Richmond Inn at Portswood Road, has received a Cask Marque award for more than six years.

Eileen, who serves four real ales, said: "To serve good beer, the cellar temperature has got to be just right and the pipes have to be clean. It's so important to get it right.

"The people who come in and enjoy a pint of beer are certainly not miserable."

The Daily Echo is determined to cheer up the region's grumps. Do you live or work with a misery-guts?

If so write to the Daily Echo, Newspaper House, Test lane, Redbridge, Southampton SO16 9JX, e-mail sarah.gomme@soton-echo.co.uk or phone Sarah Gomme on 023 8042 4500.