Harrogate tops UK happiness poll for third year running

Harrogate has been rated the happiest place to live in Britain in a survey by a property website.

The spa town topped the poll for the third year in a row in the Rightmove report, which asked 24,000 people how they feel about where they live.

Shrewsbury was second with Ipswich ranked third and York and Chester completing the top five.

Inverness came highest in Scotland, in sixth, with seventh-placed Llandrindod Wells the top Welsh location.

Hemel Hempstead ranked highest in the south-east of England, in eighth place.

'Joy to discover'

Participants in the survey were asked to rate their area based on 12 factors, including neighbourliness, how safe they felt, recreational facilities, sense of community, living costs, contentment and how proud they felt about their home.

Richard Cooper, Conservative leader of Harrogate Borough Council, described the North Yorkshire town as a fantastic place to live.

"We are surrounded by some of the UK's most beautiful scenery, have fantastic shopping, a wide variety of restaurants and cafes and great entertainment and leisure opportunities, including some unique experiences such as the elegant Turkish Baths," he said.

"As a floral town, we are also extremely lucky to have a significant number of parks and gardens in the immediate vicinity, which are a joy to discover."

London fared badly in the poll, with nine of the bottom 10 places being in the capital.

Bottom of the list in 130th place was the east London borough of Barking and Dagenham.

/By BBC/