The ONS found that the most unhappy places in Britain are predominantly in urban areas, with the table topped by Harlow and Brentwood in Essex, Islington in North London and Hyndburn in Lancashire.

The happiest people live in predominantly rural areas, with the list topped by Fermenagh in Northern Ireland , the Orkney Islands in Scotland and Hampshire, East Devon and West Somerset in England.

Glenn Everett, the well-being project director at the ONS, said that the findings represent a "conundrum" because previous research has suggested that happiness is determined by people's health and economic factors.

He said that the ONS is conducting new research for the first time to understand whether "access to green spaces" and the "sense of community" in rural areas makes people happier.

He suggested that this could explain why Northern Ireland is the happiest country in the UK despite lower levels of disposable income.

He said people living in commuter towns such as Reading, Slough and Brighton are more anxious because of the stress of their jobs.