Dumfries declared the happiest town in Scotland to live

Dumfries has been identified as the happiest place to live in Scotland.

The Dumfries and Galloway town came in at 15 in a list compiled as Rightmove’s annual “happy at home” index.

More than 17,000 people took part in the survey, which asked them how happy they are with aspects of where they live.

Factors such as community spirit, feeling safe, the friendliness of locals, the amenities and local services available and earning enough to live comfortably were taken into account.

Royal Leamington Spa came top after scored highly for friendly neighbours, a strong sense of belonging, a place where locals feel they can be themselves and good access to nature and green spaces.

But home buyers will typically be expected to pay a premium of around £20,000 to live there, compared with average house prices generally.

The average asking price of a home in Leamington Spa is £330,848, compared with a national average of £310,003, Rightmove said.

Here are the happiest places to live in Britain, according to Rightmove:

1. Royal Leamington Spa, West Midlands

2. Leigh-on-Sea, South East

3. Wirral, North West

4. Harrogate, Yorkshire

5. Royal Tunbridge Wells, South East

6. King’s Lynn, East of England

7. Epsom, South East

8. Richmond upon Thames, London

9. Poole, South West

10. Chichester, South East