Stockport is officially the fourth happiest place to live in the country according to a new survey.

The town famous for its viaduct and hat making has also been found to have the happiest residents in the north west.

Manchester ranked 91st overall, out of 111 places, with Bolton in 85th, Oldham 87th, and Wigan in 97th.

Harrogate in north Yorkshire tops the list for the second year running, with Inverness, Scotland and Taunton, Devon second and third respectively.

All of the unhappiest places were found to be in Greater London, with East London coming bottom.

While it is good news for the home of Stockport County , the town does rank two places lower than last year’s result.

Researchers asked nearly 50, 000 people in the country how happy they felt in their homes and communities.

Rightmove, who carried out the survey, then compiled the results into a Happy at Home Index, which gives an indication of the overall happiness of a place.

Stockport scored highly in contentment, amenities, and neighbourliness.

Jason Tonge of Ian Tonge Property Services in Stockport said: “Stockport is a fantastic place to live for many reasons – the excellent education your family can get here, the brilliant sporting amenities, the great transport links and the parks.”