PEOPLE who live in Monmouth are in seventh heaven according to a national survey of the happiest places to live in, despite a drop in its ranking.

Rightmove surveyed 22,000 people across the UK and placed the Wye Valley town seventh happiest in the UK, ahead of the likes of Cheltenham, Guildford, Bath, Truro, Poole and Salisbury.

However, it actually marks a slight dip in the town’s standing, having placed third in last year’s survey.

Respondents to the Happy at Home survey were asked to score 12 categories, including community spirit, safety, local services, cultural activities and whether locals are friendly and polite.

Happiest place overall across the UK was Hexham in Northumberland, followed by Harrogate and Richmond-upon-Thames.

Monmouth often scores highly in best locations ratings, placing third just five years ago in the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Live in Britain survey, when it was described as “Wales-lite, with a charm of its own”.

For more information on the Rightmove survey, go to www.rightmove.co.uk/news/happy-at-home