HEXHAM has once again been crowned Britain's happiest place to live.

The "happy at home" index, now in its 10th year, asked more than 21,000 people across Britain how they feel about various aspects of where they live.

Happiness measures in the index compiled by Rightmove include friendliness and community spirit, whether people feel they can be themselves, nature and green spaces, opportunities locally to develop skills and amenities including schools, restaurants, shops and sports facilities.

Hexham previously topped the index in 2019.

Mayor of Hexham Derek Kennedy said: "Hexham is thrilled to be awarded the happiest place to live in Great Britain.

"We are a small town with great history, Hexham Abbey and other historical buildings, and our market place is 800 years old. There is a wonderful community spirit, people are very supportive of one another."

He added: "The open countryside is wonderful with Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep."

Rightmove said the average price tag on a house in Hexham is £297,088 – a quarter of that in the leafy London suburb of Richmond, which was ranked second and has an average house asking price which is just shy of £1.2 million.

Harrogate in North Yorkshire took the third spot.

Ailsa Mather, director at Andrew Coulson in Hexham, said: “The last 12 months in the market have been phenomenal. People have re-evaluated what they want out of their lives, moving closer to family and moving from the city to the countryside.

“Over 38 per cent of our sales in the last 12 months have been from people south of Birmingham, as more people now have the opportunity to work from home, and don’t need to be in the city five days a week.”

Stirling was identified as the happiest place to live in Scotland, while Llandrindod Wells was named the happiest place to live in Wales.

Around a third of this year’s top 20 happiest towns are market towns, the study found.

Here are the top 10 happiest places in Britain, according to Rightmove, with the average asking price for a home and the average monthly asking rental price:

1. Hexham, North East, £297,088, £842

2. Richmond-upon-Thames, London, £1,196,892, £3,235

3. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber, £353,624, £1,163

4. Hove, South East, £525,906, £1,879

5. Llandrindod Wells, Wales, £193,601, £445

6. Stirling, Scotland, £191,226, £877

7. Monmouth, Wales, £312,649, £929

8. St Ives, South West, £494,393, £1,150

9. Anglesey, Wales, £278,391, £776

10. Leamington Spa, West Midlands, £350,981, £1,203

Guy Opperman MP added: “From our brilliant schools, to our stunning Abbey and excellent Farmers Market - it’s no surprise that Hexham has once again been rated the happiest place to live!

"Our town is a gateway to Hadrian’s Wall and the Northumberland National Park. It’s the perfect mix of town and countryside. If you don’t live here, I urge you to visit and see what we have to offer!”