Darlington has been named the best place in the North East to drive to work.

A new index by Go.Compare Car Insurance has unveiled the region's best and worst places for commuting by car.

The survey ranked 109 places in the UK based on factors motorists find most annoying, including fuel and parking costs, delays, and road conditions.

Darlington scored an impressive 7.7 out of 10, placing it among the top five in the country and the best in the North East.

Its high score is largely due to low parking costs, with average fees of just £5.75 for an eight-hour working day, making it the fourth cheapest place for parking in England.

In contrast, Newcastle fared the worst in the region, scoring just 2.7 out of 10, making it the UK's most frustrating place outside of London to commute by car.

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The region's largest city was found to have some of the country's worst road conditions, with 79 per cent of its A roads having poor surface conditions on average.

It also ranked in the bottom 40 for parking costs and the bottom 25 for road delays.

Sunderland placed in the top 10 for commuter reliability, sitting just behind Darlington with an overall score of 7.5.

Although slightly more expensive than Darlington for parking, Sunderland was found to have the best roads in the country, with only 11 per cent of its A, B, and C roads in poor condition.

Elsewhere, Durham scored 6.9 out of 10, putting it in the country's top 30 overall.

Tom Banks, car insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: "Many drivers might not realise that cities with high traffic rates, fuel costs, parking costs, and poor road conditions can also have high insurance premiums as well.

"It might not be at the forefront of someone’s mind but these factors are worth considering when moving home or even when looking for a new job."