Brighton and Hove is the most godless city in England, according to the latest census data.

More than half of people in the city (55.2 per cent) reported having no religion, the highest proportion in England.

However, Caerphilly in Wales reported a higher percentage of atheists at 56.7 per cent.

The figures provide a snapshot of religious belief across England and Wales on the day of the census, March 21, 2021.

The Hanover region of the city had the highest proportion of people reporting no religion, with more than two-thirds of people in the area (68.1 per cent) being atheists, compared with West Blatchington at the other end of the scale at 42.1 per cent.

The city also was among eight local areas in England where less than a third of the population describe themselves as Christian.

Only 30.9 per cent of people in the city identified as Christian, while Tower Hamlets had the lowest proportion at just 22.3 per cent.

The highest proportion of Christians in Brighton and Hove was reported in Rottingdean and Saltdean, at 44.9 per cent, with less than one in five people in Round Hill (19.3 per cent) identifying as such.