Watford was named as the ninth worst place to live in the UK, according to a new study claiming to have crunched the numbers.

Using a combination of Home Office and Tripadvisor data, property company housebuyers4u has ranked the most and least desirable places to live across the country.

Its ranking is bad news for the town, which is apparently the ninth worst place to live, sandwiched between London and West Bromwich.

The methodology saw each location given a score in five categories: culture, greenery, housing, utilities and violent crime.

Watford has been ranked as the 9th worst place to live.Watford has been ranked as the 9th worst place to live. (Image: housebuyers4u) Watford scored (out of 100) 36.77 for culture, 49.23 for greenery, 25.18 for housing, 49.85 for utilities and 47.60 for violent crime - giving it 39.46 overall.

However, many will disagree with the ranking and point to other positive studies, such as property consultancy firm Lambert Smith Hampton naming the town as the UK's best place to live and work.

Watford also boasts the most Green Flags in Hertfordshire, a thriving hospitality sector and one of the UK's best parks, with Cassiobury consistently ranked in the top 10.

It has also previously received Purple Flag status recognising excellence in managing the night-time economy.

According to housebuyers4u's list, Slough was the worst place to live with a score of 28.18, while Luton is the second worst, with 32.89. Hove, Basildon and Gillingham round out the bottom five.

At the other end of the scale, York is supposedly the best place to live with a score of 70.75.