Hackney is 'worst place to live in UK'

The London borough of Hackney is the worst place to live in the UK, according to new research for Channel 4.

The east London district is ranked the most uninviting of all of the UK's 434 local authorities.

Results were based on five criteria for home-buyers - crime, environment, lifestyle, education and employment.

The rundown is presented by property hunters Sofie Allsopp and Phil Spencer in the forthcoming show The Best And Worst Places To Live In The UK: 2006.

Hull, whose inclusion sparked controversy when it ranked the worst 12 months ago, has disappeared from this year's top 10, along with Mansfield and Salford.

Repeat offenders this year are the City of Nottingham, Strabane, Hackney, Middlesbrough, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil.

Spencer said: "We've only just come out of hiding after the storm this show created last year. But it's all based on official data, we're merely presenting the facts - harsh as they may be."

Allsopp said: "All the research is rock solid, we look at every single local authority, all 434 of them, and the figures speak for themselves."

The Best and Worst Places to Live in the UK: 2006 will be broadcast on October 26 on Channel 4.

Hackney's elected Mayor, Jules Pipe, hit back at the claim that the borough is the worst place in Britain to live.

He said: "This kind of programme panders to the worst sort of middle England snobbery. Of course Hackney has problems, as do all inner city boroughs, but it is an amazing place to live.

"It is diverse and exciting with fantastic architecture, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, and a bright future as an Olympic borough.

"If Hackney is such a terrible place, why have Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp made several programmes in the past about what a great place it is to invest in property?'

"The Channel 4 list just doesn't make sense given that we have the best crime reduction figures in London and the fastest improving schools."

Neil Leahy, of Keatons estate agents, which sells property across north and east London said: "The property market in Hackney is very strong. It's the only London borough that hasn't seen a price drop in the last four years.

"It's got a great atmosphere, a bohemian feel, fantastic markets and nightlife. Schools are improving and, all in all, it's a great place to live."

The Worst top 10 results are:

1. Hackney, east London

2. Tower Hamlets, east London

3. Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales

4. Newham, east London

5. Islington, north London

6. Middlesbrough, North East

7. City of Nottingham, East Midlands

8. Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland

9. Blaenau Gwent, south Wales

10. Manchester, North West

Copyright Press Association 2006.