A VILLAGE boasting Bentleys, bling and even the Beckhams has nothing on two sleepy Worcestershire locations, according to a new list of Britain’s best small places.

Because while Alderley Edge, near Manchester, is famed for being home to a host of celebrities, including Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand and Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Peter Jones, as well as former residents the Beckhams and Cristiano Ronaldo, a national newspaper list has shown it has nothing on Hanley Swan and Hanley Castle.

The Times this week released the list, featuring the 30 best villages in Britain and the Hanleys, near Malvern, was listed above the Cheshire community favoured by the rich and famous.

To Hanley residents, however, the accolade came as no surprise. “I think it’s lovely news,” said Pauline Phipps, owner of RA Phipps butchers in the centre of Hanley Swan.

“Hanley Swan is well deserving of it. It’s a lovely village. It hasn’t seen a lot of change in the last few years. It’s a character village with a traditional green and pond.

“We do live in one of the best areas in Britain. We are very lucky.” Mrs Phipps’ shop was mentioned by newspaper as one of the reasons the area is “great”, along with the fishmonger’s and “two well-regarded pubs”.

The paper points out that The Hanleys are “often spoken of together for their picturesque streets and tight-knit community”.

“It doesn’t surprise me that the Hanleys are included,” said Malcolm Heale, of the the Swan pub in the village.

“Hanley Swan is a beautiful village with duck pond, large oak tree on the village green, village store, butchers and pub which are only three miles from the Malvern Hills and Upton-upon-Severn.”

Lindsey Cooke, headteacher at the high school, said being mentioned was a credit to the pupils and the community from which they come. The Hanleys are the only Worcestershire villages listed in the top 30, with no mention of arguably more prominent places such as Broadway. Top of the list is West Meon in Hampshire, with Castle Combe in Wiltshire and Chew Magna in Somerset complete the top three.