SKIPTON has been named amongst the happiest places to live in Britain in a new report by Rightmove.

The study - now in its 13th year - was completed by more than 35,000 people across Britain, with residents being asked how they feel about their area.

Residents expressed opinions on topics such as how proud they feel about where they live, their sense of belonging, community spirit, whether they can be themselves, whether they can earn enough to live comfortably in their area, public transport, sports and recreation, green spaces and artistic and cultural activities.

Skipton, which in 2014 was named by the Sunday Times as the best place to live in Britain, has now been named by Rightmove as the sixth happiest place to live in the country.

And, it was the cheapest place to live in the top 10 - the average house price in Skipton is £263,312; and the average monthly rent people pay is £1,439.

In top-placed Woodbridge in Surrey, the average price of a house is £441,569; and renters can expect to pay around £1,478. 

The most expensive, happiest place to live in the top 10 was second-placed Richmond upon Thames, London (not Richmond, North Yorkshire).

People wanting to live in Richmond can expect to pay a cool £939,329 for a house and to pay a monthly eye-watering rent of £3,131.

Locally, only Harrogate makes the top ten happiest places to live this year - just one place higher than Skipton in fifth place. A move to Harrogate will however mean higher house prices - the average cost of a house is £394,312; and for renting, it is £1,439.

Rightmove said its study indicates that, overall, residents in Scotland, Wales, and the South West are most happy with where they live, while those in the East and West Midlands are the least happy.

The Gen-Z generation (18 to 24-year-olds) were the most likely to say that they thought they would be happier living in a different area, while those aged 55-plus were the least likely.

The research also indicated that the type of environment that made residents most happy was a rural location by woodland or a forest, or being near a National Park or National Landscape.

Rightmove's analysis found that feeling proud to live in an area was the biggest driver of overall satisfaction with a home and community out of the factors it looked at while living near to family and friends was the smallest driver.