Wolverhampton ranked in bottom third for healthiest high streets

The city was ranked 58th out of 82 cities and large towns in the UK in terms of how healthy its high street is.

Cities and towns were ranked on a series of factors including how close gyms, leisure centres, green spaces, vegan restaurants, museums and pubs were to the high street.

They were marked down for how many takeaways, betting shops, vape shops and pawn brokers were populating the centre - many of which can be found in Wolverhampton city centre.

Wolverhampton was marked down for a lack of green space in the immediate vicinity of the high street, as well as a lack of libraries and museums. Points were also lost for the number of fast-food restaurants.

The city came between Derby and Wigan on the list compiled by mortgage company Bankrate.

York was named as having the healthiest high street in the country, with Peterborough labelled as the most unhealthy. Nowhere else in the Black Country or South Staffordshire was included on the list, as the cities and towns all had populations of above 100,000.

Birmingham was named as one of the healthiest in the UK, coming just outside the top 10 in 11th place. Coventry was 22nd and Stoke-on-Trent 41st.

It follows moves in parts of the Black Country and Staffordshire to attempt to limit the number of takeaways, particularly near schools amid concerns about obesity levels among children and young adults.

Wolverhampton's kids have been named in previous studies as some of the fattest in the country.

Bankrate said: "Our analysis discovered that the average house price in cities that scored highly in our index was £319,691. At the other end of the scale, the house prices in cities with high streets that scored badly averaged out at £216,200.

"The difference in house prices highlights a correlation between having a healthy high street, and the value of a home. In fact, homes with a healthy high street nearby were valued on average £103,491 more."