BUCKS has been named as one of the most enterprising areas in the UK, new research has revealed.

Professor David Storey, of Warwick Business School, recently received an award of more than £150,000 from the Leverhulme Trust to enable him and co-researcher Dr Francis Greene to carry out new research on new firms set up in the county in the 1990s.

The research showed, by measuring VAT registrations, that Bucks was among the most enterprising area in the UK.

During 1999, for example, south Bucks had 73 new firms registering for VAT for every 10,000 of the resident population, one of the highest rates in England.

Dr Greene, who has been looking at business start-ups for 20 years, said: "The role played by SME's (small and medium sized enterprises) has been demonstrated to have a significant effect upon the creation of employment and improvement in social conditions."

Interviews are currently being carried out to find out the critical factors which have contributed to the growth of business start-ups in Bucks.

A survey from Dun & Bradstreet earlier this year showed that High Wycombe was the most prosperous town in Bucks for the second year running.