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It may be hard to swallow as you sit in traffic on the rush-hour commute – but Birmingham saw the biggest drop in congestion of any UK city last year.

Drivers spent two-and-a-half hours less sitting in queues last year than in 2014.

But motorists in the city still wasted 34 hours of their lives stuck in jams.

The statistics – released by transport firm Inrix – come as drivers continue to battle a string of roadworks schemes, including at Paradise Circus in the city centre and the landmark Spitfire island, near Castle Vale.

But the improvement in congestion times was put down to the completion of roadworks on the M6, with a project to waterproof slip roads at junctions eight and nine finished late last year.

Nationally, drivers spent an average of 30 hours in congestion in 2015.

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That figure put Britain sixth in the list of Europe’s most congested roads – despite an increase in traffic in almost two-thirds of UK cities.

Unsurprisingly, London was the country’s busiest city – and the worst for jams in the world.

Drivers in the capital wasted a total of 101 hours stuck in snarled-up traffic last year.

Greater Manchester was second with 51 hours, followed by Belfast with 38 hours.

Drivers in Merseyside were fourth with 37 hours, with South Nottinghamshire fifth with 35 hours.

Below: Big jams heading into Birmingham city centre when the new Paradise Circus works started last May