ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

Nine London boroughs have been voted the most miserable places to live in the UK in a new 'happiness' survey.

Nine out of ten of the worst locations to live were in the capital, based on a poll of residents' satisfaction.

The borough of Barking and Dagenham took the accolade for the most miserable place to set up home in the UK. Dagenham also holds the title of Britain's most burgled area.

In second place was Hounslow, once voted the worst place for fuel theft due to it being the home of Heathrow Airport.

The most miserable places to live in the UK

The north west London boroughs of Brent and Harrow followed closely behind. Both boroughs were also named among the top ten worst places for food hygiene enforcement in the UK earlier this year.

Also featuring in the top ten were the boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, Hillingdon and Haringey.

Related stories

Barking and Dagenham Cllr Darren Rodwell said: “I find this report quite amusing as we have just had tens of thousands of people coming to a series of events celebrating 50 years of our borough.

“This was the largest community celebration of its kind in London and as a result we even had Her Majesty, The Queen coming here a couple of weeks ago to see our fantastic borough and residents.

“Of course there are challenges in Barking and Dagenham like there is anywhere else in the country in this age of austerity but I know we have the drive and ambition to make this borough a better place to live for everyone.

“It’s why we have been singled out as London’s premier growth opportunity with tens of thousands of homes and jobs being created over the next 15 years. On top of this we have a flourishing creative community in Barking which is being coined as the new Shoreditch or Dalston."

Councillor Steve Curran, the leader of Hounslow Council, said: “Our own research paints a different picture to this.

“Like everywhere in Britain, Hounslow faces some tough challenges at the moment. They are not unique to this borough and are challenges that can impact on people’s overall happiness wherever they live.

"Hounslow people tell us a different story to the one told here. We know there is much more to do to make life better for all, but a lot of local people are clearly happy and proud to live here.”

The happiness poll was carried out by property website Rightmove, which used criteria including safety, neighbourliness and amenities to rank communities.

The prevailing trend in London was unsurprisingly that residents faced high rents and property prices but were rarely rewarded with good local facilities or low crime rates.

The affluent borough of Richmond upon Thames was voted the happiest in London, while the quaint Yorkshire town of Harrogate was named the happiest place in the UK for the third year in a row.

Rightmove’s housing expert Miles Shipside said: “To come top of our Happy at Home Index three years in a row is no mean feat, and we’ll be expecting a spike in people having a look on Rightmove to see what they might be able to afford to buy or rent in the Harrogate area."

Most miserable places to live in the UK

1. Barking and Dagenham

2. Hounslow

3. Brent

4. Harrow

5. Newham

6. Tower Hamlets

7. Greenwich

8. Luton

9. Hillingdon

10. Haringey