ST ALBANS has taken the top spot of Mayfair on the Monopoly board - polling twice as many votes as any other location.

The city took the prestigious £4million spot on the new Here & Now version of the game following a competition by toy manufacturer Hasbro, in which people across the UK voted for their favourite places to get them onto the board.

Following a vigorous campaign by the Review and local residents, St Albans received a total of 104,107 votes, more than ten per cent of the total cast on the Monopoly website during the competition.

Exeter came in second place to take Park Lane and Nottingham came third to take Bond Street. Cambridge, with which St Albans had a close-fought battle marred by allegations of cheating on both sides, ended up in a lowly fourth place to take Oxford Street.

St Albans MP Anne Main, who admitted to voting and keeping a close eye on the leader board, said: "I was a little concerned about the cheating, but it was the right result in the end. It's fantastic, a very worthy position."

Mayor of St Albans, Councillor Kate Morris, said she found the win "very exciting". She said: "It's good to hear that people in and around St Albans have got such enthusiasm about the city. It's very reassuring that St Albans is so well-loved.

"I know it was close during the voting but I was confident that St Albans would be up there with the winners. I was encouraging everyone I knew to throw themselves into the voting to get us on the map. I know people that came to visit me were voting for us as well.

"People really identify with St Albans, it's not just any place."

St Albans Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Sandy Walkington said: "It's a bit of fun and it puts St Albans firmly on the map. But it also shows that people care passionately about our city and its distinctive identity."

The Mayfair spot now features a picture of St Albans Abbey, and the new game was due to be unveiled outside the building yesterday afternoon in the presence of the Mayor and a 25ft Scottie dog Monopoly piece.

Helen Martin from Monopoly said: "We knew that people in the UK were passionate but we had no idea how much they loved their towns, cities and villages. We were overwhelmed by the desire shown by voters."

The game went on sale yesterday.