Paganism is said to be strong in the South West

Christianity remains the dominant religion in Devon and Cornwall, but Paganism, Humanism and Spiritualism also have thousands of followers.

Data released from the 2001 Census shows more than three and a half million declared themselves Christian.

However, over three quarters of a million claimed to have no religious affiliation at all.

There are dozens of denominations in the region, from the Apostolic Church to the United Reformed Church.

Amongst the non-Christian religions Islam is the most popular and Buddhism has more than 11,000 followers in the region.

The West Country emerged as a strong centre for Paganism and also for Spiritualism, whose followers believe that mediums can contact the dead.

The statistics also revealed 45,000 people who claimed to be Jedi Knights, as part of a popular hoax.