A London borough has been named the friendliest place to live in Britain.
Sutton, an outer London borough in the south-west of the capital has topped the charts for the friendliest borough, according to research from estate agent John D Wood & Co.
The borough edged out locations in the north east and northwest to take prize place, hitting back at Londoners’ surly reputation.
The research analysed anti-social behaviour levels, homeownership rates, access to green space, the number of cafes, pubs, and community spaces, to award Sutton the prize.
The often forgotten London borough has low rates of anti-social behaviour, with 15.6 incidents reported for every 1,000 residents, and 65% of properties were owner occupied.
Sutton also has 10,36 amenities per 10,000 residents, including cafes, pubs, and its green spaces.
According to the research, those who live in Sutton have access to an average of 5.84 public gardens within a 1,000-metre radius of their home.
One of those is Nonsuch Park on the borders of the borough and Sutton Green.
The capital fared well overall, beating regions in the north west to rank as the friendliest overall region.
Bromley and Merton came in second and third place in London respectively. Bromley records one of the highest homeownership rates in the dataset at 69.04% while it also ranked highly for its strong access to parks and open spaces.
Merton offers some of the best green space accessibility in the London rankings, with 7.57 parks, gardens or public fields available within a 1,000-metre radius.
In fourth was Kensington & Chelsea, praised for its strong supply of local amenities. The borough has one of the highest figures for cafes, pubs, and community spaces, courtesy of its Notting Hill and Chelsea neighbourhoods.
In the national rankings, Chester took second place - ranking highly for its low anti-social behaviour reports and high home ownership level. With 69.4% of properties owned outright, the borough boasts a stable residential based, according to the report.
Liverpool in Merseyside also carried the north-west further up national rankings. The birthplace of the Beatles, Liverpool has felt an uptick in Google searches for community events, pointing to the growing popularity of community events in the city.
