St Albans is one of the happiest places to live in Britain, according to a new study.

But while the city came a respectable 19th in Rightmove's latest Happy at Home index, Hitchin ranked even higher.

The North Herts hotspot came 12th in the list, which was topped by the Northumberland market town of Hexham, with Richmond upon Thames in second place and Harrogate third.

This is the 10th year for the Rightmove index, which is based on 21,000 British residents' views on where they live, and their ranking of 10 happiness measures.

A sense of belonging was the most important factor for overall happiness, the portal found, followed by the friendliness of the locals, and being able to be yourself.

The other measures on the list were nature and green spaces, a sense of community spirit, cultural activities, opportunities to develop skills, non-essential amenities (restaurants and shops), essential amenities (doctors and schools) and sports and recreational activities.

Four other areas of Herts featured in the countdown: Watford came 72nd, followed by Bishop's Stortford (101), Hertford (110) and Stevenage (173).