The survey, run by the website Crap Towns Returns, saw more than 3,000 votes, with perennially unpopular Luton, Slough, Bracknell and Birmingham all trailing in the Hertfordshire town's wake.

Camberley in Surrey, which is also listed among the top 100 “crap towns” – due to be whittled down to 50 for the book “Crap Town Returns” in October – came sixth in the poll with 311 votes.

One of the authors behind the survey, Sam Jordison, said: "I know exactly why Hemel did so well in the poll. I've been there once. And once was more than enough.

"Although I am surprised that Coventry didn't do better: worse, following the number of people writing in to say it looked better just after it was bombed than it does now."

Hemel Hempstead came top of the poll with 785 votes. Although it started slowly, registering zero votes in the first few hours or nominations going live, in June police did have to be called to rescue a man wedged inside a traffic bollard for two hours after putting it on his head as a joke.

The first edition of Crap Towns, published in 2003, sold more than 100,000 copies and provoked outrage, including from former Conservative leader Michael Howard, whose constituency of Hythe in Kent was included at number four.

The successor scheduled for release in October is “back by unpopular demand”, its creators say.

Some of the other town centres in the standings were Cumbernauld, a town in North Lanarkshire created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow, and Coventry in the West Midlands.

The full list of 100 Crap Towns controversially included Chipping Norton, the Oxfordshire town home to David Cameron, Jeremy Clarkson, and Rebekah Brooks.

Not satisfied with declaring which is the ugliest town, now the website has a poll of the dullest towns in the UK. Once again Chipping Norton is listed, alongside Boston in Lincolnshire, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, and Maidenhead in Berkshire.

Ugliest towns: the final standings

Hemel Hempstead - 785

Luton - 592

Slough - 352

Bracknell - 338

Birmingham -312

Camberley - 311

Coventry - 295

Cumbernauld - 100

Hatfield - 51

Gateshead - 48

Dullest towns: the shortlist

- Banbury

- Boston

- Bury St Edmunds

- Burnham Market

- Camberley

- Chipping Norton

- Fort William

- Hatfield

- Leamington Spa

- Maidenhead

- Rhyl

- Thetford