CHART-TOPPING ravers EMF have been awarded a blue plaque by their Forest home town.

The group, whose first ever rehearsal took place in a Cinderford church hall, are best known for their No 1 US single Unbelievable, which also reached No 3 in the UK charts.

Cinderford Town Council unanimously approved the plaque after a campaign by local crier Jer Holland to honour the band, who returned with a new album The Beauty and The Chaos and toured the UK and the US earlier this year.

EMF singer James Atkin, who regularly references his Forest heritage at gigs, told BBC Radio Gloucestershire he was "completely blown away" by the announcement and added: “It’s come completely out of the blue.

"We love the Forest, we love Cinderford. It's where we started, that's our root. To get recognised is kind of mind-blowing.”

Jer said of his successful campaign: “It's about time we recognise what they did for the town, and what they continue to do to put the town on the map.

"Like many Foresters, I’ve always been very proud of their achievements, and I’m very proud, also as a fan loving their music."

The band’s guitarist Ian Dench added: “We feel very proud of having made Cinderford and the Forest of Dean proud of us."

The band, whose debut 1991 album Schubert Dip reached No 3 in the UK charts and No 12 in the States, are playing a sold out gig at the Steam and Whistle in Cheltenham on December 12 before heading over to Ireland to support Stereo MCs at gigs in Dublin and Cork.

After that, they’ll be playing the Shiiine On 10th Anniversary weekender at Butlins, Skegness, at the end of March with the likes of Ash, The Orb and Dodgy.

A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, group or event.

You can find out more about the band’s reaction to the blue plaque via their social media pages. 

You can also find their music online and via Spotify or YouTube.