Both the Church of Satan and the local council of the town of Bolsover have denied that the town has the highest concentration of Satanists in the United Kingdom.
The town was dubbed the capital of Satanism in the UK after the 2011 Census revealed that there werere 17 Satanists out of the town's population of more than 75,000 people, RT UK reports.
The town, according to the Census, had the highest number of Satanists in a single location in the United Kingdom.
But the Church of Satan apparently disputes the suggestion that the findings of the census mean it is the satanist capital.
"While we have many members throughout the UK, that area does not have any exceptional concentration of our adherents," Church of Satan Priestess Serena Malone told RT UK.
Malone said the results may reflect locals' sense of humour more than any sincere Satanist convictions and that people may have checked Satanism as their religion in the Census forms because they "think it's funny."
The Church of Satan is an organisation of atheists that was founded in the United States in 1966. The group claims to acknowledge man's nature as a "carnal beast" and has said that it does not engage in devil worship.
Bolsover District Council Chairman Ken Walker also said that there was no presence of any Satanists in the town and that nobody in his jurisdiction has ever heard of the religion. He said the results were "a load of rubbish."
Walker said the town holds an annual ritual for its harvest but it is not based on Satanism. The council chairman told RT UK that local priests fund the ritual.
