A town in Suffolk has been named as one of the most fitness-friendly in the UK.

Ipswich ranked joint-13th with Norfolk counterpart Norwich on the list from Live Football Tickets, which sought to find the best places across the country for fitness lovers.

It analysed factors such as the number of cycle paths, walking trails and exercise facilities per 10,000 people, as well as the average rainfall and air quality to give places a ultimate score out of 10.

Ipswich and Norwich both scored a rating of 6.55, narrowly beaten out by Bedford, Stockport and Rochdale on 6.56, 6.57 and 6.60 respectively.

Bath topped the list with a score of 9.09, with Colchester in second on 8.13, and nearby Cambridge in third with 7.54.

On cycle paths, Ipswich has 7.21 per 10,000 people – significantly more than Norwich’s 2.91 – although on fitness facilities this dropped to 2.52 per 10,000, whereas Norwich had slightly more on 3.80.

The downward trend for the county town continued when it came to walking trails, with 1.85 per 10,00, although it had a slightly higher average temperature compared with Norwich – 14.65 degrees centigrade compared to 14.24.

Ipswich had a marginally better air quality than Norwich – 7.42 to 7.54 – a lower a number in this ranking indicating a better air quality.

Bradford, Birkenhead and Sunderland were rated as the worst places in the UK for fitness lovers.

Southend-on-Sea was the only city in the Eastern region to fall in the worst 15 places.