Image copyright G Laird/Geograph Image caption Motherwell was named the best commuting town for Edinburgh

Motherwell, Greenock and Arbroath are Scotland's most affordable commuter towns, according to a banking survey.

The Bank of Scotland examined house prices in towns within an hour's commute of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

It measured them against average earnings, both locally and in relation to the nearest city.

Despite being almost 40 miles away, Motherwell topped the list as the most affordable commuter town to Edinburgh.

The North Lanarkshire town had an average house price of £130,268 compared to £225,133 in the capital.

Greenock was found to be the most affordable town in commuting distance to Glasgow, with an average house price of £120,927 compared to the Glasgow figure of £161,623. Motherwell came in second.

The report on Aberdeen found Arbroath - more than 50 miles and an hour's drive away - was the best value, with an average house price of £127,497 compared to £210,522 in Aberdeen.

The bank said commuters with a half-hour drive into Aberdeen faced average property prices of £234,143.

Image copyright Karen Vernon/Geograph Image caption Arbroath topped the list for towns within commuting distance of Aberdeen

A separate study, How Scotland Lives, found that a shorter commute to work led to increased happiness, with those having less than a 15-minute journey claiming to be happiest.

Graham Blair, mortgage director at Bank of Scotland, said: "The length of the commute to work is a key factor when deciding where to set up home. Scotland has some great commuter towns where considerable savings on property can be made.

"However, the decision to commute is not one that should be made just on the finances. We know from our How Scotland Lives research that those who don't have to travel long distances to work are often happier.

"There are many things to take into account when looking for a new home, not just the journey time to work.

"Quality of schools, sense of space and sense of community are also important to many house hunters across Scotland."