It's a town that just can't get enough of tinsel, baubles and twinkling Christmas lights.

And now new figures show that Carlton Colville, near Lowestoft, is officially Christmas-obsessed.

The data, released by search engine giants Google, shows that residents of the town searched for topics related to the festive season more than anyone else in the region.

Google's statistics show the proportion of searches that relate to Christmas as a percentage of all searches in the given area and time period.

Carlton has a 'search interest score' of 66, which is assigned by way of comparison to the score of 100 given to Keelby in Lincolnshire. Felthorpe in Norfolk boasts a score of 59.

A number of the Suffolk town's roads are illuminated by a dazzling array of lights that bring an instant festive feel, and many of the residents see it as a challenge to try and better their efforts from year to year.

Thirty-one-year-old Steve Forster, who lives on Abbeydale, decorates his house with an eye-catching giant red ribbon, among others things.

'The town is definitely a Christmassy place and we really like to make an effort round here at this time of year,' said Mr Forster.

'On the whole, Carlton Colville stands out compared to nearby places; when it comes to Christmas it's all about trying to inspire people, and I like to go above and beyond to put a smile on the face of my kids.'

Meanwhile, Mandy Garrett, 58, of Rosedale Gardens, has made it a habit to elaborately decorate her house with masses of lights and a nativity scene in order to generate funds for charity.

'We've done this for about 10 years now, raising money for charity along the way,' said Mrs Garrett.

'The money goes to adults with learning difficulties and last year we raised a total of £1,000 which went to local charities.'

Pubs also come to life during the festive season and The Bell Inn in Carlton is bursting with Christmas spirit.

'Quite a few of the houses round here do amazing jobs,' said Louise Roberts, who works at the pub.

'Christmas is just great for family time, food, drink - I love it!'