Powys the 'most cheerful place in the UK'

A new study has discovered that Powys in Wales has been named the happiest place in the UK.

Researchers from the universities of Sheffield and Manchester made the assessment after studying data from the British Household Panel Survey and the findings could be of interest for someone looking to locate a plot for their self buildproperty.

The city of Manchester came second in the happiness table, ahead of West Lothian in Scotland.

John Evans of Powys County Council was happy with the findings and offered his own reasons why the area topped the happiness charts: "We have dramatic landscapes. We have the sort of hills that you can walk up, not just look at."

"We have wide river valleys, rolling hills and the Brecon Beacons," he continued

In 2005 the council in Carmarthenshire launched what was believed to be Wales' first self build scheme in more than a decade.

As part of the project the council offered advice and training to help low-wage earners get on the property ladder, the BBC reported.