The Liverpool Urban Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to denote the urban area around Liverpool in England, to the east of the River Mersey. The contiguous built-up area extends beyond the area administered by Liverpool City Council into adjoining local authority areas, particularly parts of Sefton and Knowsley. As defined by ONS, the area extends as far east as Haydock and St. Helens. The Liverpool Urban Area is not the same area as Merseyside (or Greater Merseyside), which includes areas of Wirral on the west bank of the Mersey and Southport.