Coleshill in Warwickshire is dubbed the Viagra capital of England

According to the tourism website Within Warwickshire, the market town of Coleshill in North Warwickshire ‘boasts a number of quirky curiosities’ and interesting attractions, such as one of the finest and biggest church steeples across the county. This is the Church of St Peter and St Paul, which has an incredible 52-metre steeple dating back to the 13th century.

Unfortunately, the church steeple may take on a new, if slightly humorous, significance after Coleshill has been given the moniker of the ‘Viagra capital of England’, having the highest number of NHS prescriptions per 1,000 men in the country for the erectile dysfunction medication.

New NHS figures show that the residents of Coleshill, which according to a 2001 census has a population of just 6,343, are the biggest Viagra consumers in the country. The stats show that 55 in every 1,000 men in Coleshill are being prescribed Viagra by their GP, in addition to other popular anti-impotence medications such as Cialis and Levitra.

The sleepy market town was way ahead of its closest contender for the title of ‘Viagra capital’ – Wychavon, across the border in Worcestershire, where there are 43 prescriptions issued for every 1,000 men.

The rest of the top 5 comprised of Dartford in Kent, in third place (42 per 1,000 men), followed by Hastings in East Sussex (41 per 1,000 men) and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire (40 per 1,000 men).

So why has Coleshill managed to claim the title it has? A local landlord believes the number of pubs in the town may be a contributing factor. Simon Kennedy, 38, spoke to the Sunday Times and said: “It’s a strange one. It is an old coaching town and there are a lot of pubs. I don’t know if that might be a factor. Perhaps they need some assistance after visiting all the pubs? There are only a couple of chemists in the town so they must be well stocked up on Viagra.”

Some residents are happily quick to speak about their use of Viagra. Al Gorman, a male stripper, admits to using Viagra, and raved about the wonders of the little blue pill: “It boosts my private life and my work life."

The divorced father of three says: “I use Viagra all the time. I want to perform well and don’t want to let anyone down. I’m not surprised we have more users than anywhere else in the country, because we’re more fun.”

Martin Raybone, a 63-year-old insurance assessor, added: We’re a fun bunch in Coleshill and it seems most of us enjoy happy, healthy sex lives. We have nothing to complain about here – there’s no aggro, no litter and we’re no Victor Meldrew brigade. People have well-paid jobs and decent pensions, and we like to go out or stay in and have a good time.”

Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, the lowest number of people receiving prescriptions for erectile dysfunction medication were in areas such as London, Cambridge and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Although, it could be that those living in cities are more like to acquire such medications through private means such as Medical Specialists Pharmacy, in order to avoid a possible excruciatingly embarrassing face-to-face visit with a GP and the efficiency and speed of obtaining Viagra, Cialis, etc. through the internet and then delivered to their chosen destination the very next day.