A new study has named one North East city amongst the worst to visit in the UK.

Sunderland has been named by The Telegraph as one of the worst cities to visit in the country based on a scientific study with 25 criteria in four categories- transport, culture and heritage, and green spaces.

With all categories combined, Sunderland scored 89 points beating out cities including Bangor, Salford, Doncaster and Carlisle - which was ranked at the bottom of the list.

Sunderland, home to the Stadium of Light and the Black Cats, is known for its coastal tourist spots including Roker and Seaburn as well as the National Glass Centre and Sunderland Empire.

The city is also home to the Winter Gardens museum - but Sunderland scored just 19 points for culture and heritage, despite a rich history of shipbuilding, stemming from the 18th century.

Sunderland also scored just 16 points for nature and green spaces based on spaces including Backhouse Park, Barnes Park and Mowbray Park.

Elsewhere in the region, Durham trumped Sunderland in the rankings with a total of 186 points - with its highest score of 60 coming from the culture and heritage category.

Renowned for its historic cathedral and cobbled streets, Durham also beat Newcastle, which came in just behind them with 179 points.

Here's a table showing the full ranking of all cities in the study:

In its report, The Telegraph said "our top ten is aimed at visitors first, residents second".


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Topping the list was Bath, which racked up 248 points overall.

Of Bath, the study reads: "Bath has Unesco World Heritage Site status not once but twice. One inscription covers the entire city – a rare honour that reflects its unique history and character; the other applies to Bath’s membership of the exclusive Great Towns of Europe club.

"The overall winner, as you’ll see, is a beautiful, rather gracious city that has long been regarded fondly – but which also has cultural clout."