Sheffield named 'banter capital of Britain'

For the Steel City has been named as the banter capital of Britain.

Sheffield topped a 'laughter league' by wood care firm Ronseal with research showing that people in the city enjoy 16 laughs a day - or 5, 840 a year.

Bristol was second with 5,694 and Leeds third with 5,511.

In addition, eight in ten adults said the UK was the giggle headquarters of the world with a better sense of humour than any other nation.

The survey found more than a quarter of Brits enjoyed witty sparring matches with partners while almost two in ten said their children’s remarks left them in stitches.

When it came to ribbing friends, bad haircuts, their choice of partner and fashion sense were prime areas for poking fun.

Tightwads who never bought a round in a pub were also the butt of jokes along with dodgy DIY skills like putting up wonky shelves or hammering a nail in a water pipe.

But a fifth of self-deprecating Brits were also happy to make a joke at their own expense.

A Ronseal spokesperson said: “Banter is a part of British culture and whether we are making fun of situations, our friends or our own predicaments no-one does it quite like we do.”

The laughter league (number of chuckles a year)

Sheffield - 5,840

Bristol - 5,694

Leeds - 5,511

London - 5,183

Cardiff - 5,147

Liverpool - 5,037

Manchester - 4,964

Edinburgh - 4,928

Birmingham – 4,891

Brighton - 4,672