BRADFORD is the fourth slowest place in Britain to sell a house, according to a new survey by Rightmove.

According to research by the property listings website, it takes 119 days to sell a house in the city, ahead of Wakefield at 120 days, St Helens at 128 days, and Darlington, where data suggested it takes 132 days to find a buyer.

Dartford, Rochester, Watford, Bristol, and Reading were among the top hotspots for the fastest-selling properties, with homes in Dartford said to typically take just 16 days to sell.

Rightmove's research was based on the number of days it took between a property being listed on its website and marked as sold, subject to contract.

While the London commuter counties of Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire were home to many of the fastest-selling properties, northern towns such as Warrington, Crewe, Middlesbrough, and Bury also saw big falls in the length of time it takes for a property to be snapped up.

Rightmove excluded London from its survey tables, to give more of a picture of general property trends across Britain.

The average time to sell a property fell to 79 days, down from an average of 87 days last year.