A survey of thousands of Which? readers has named Wells as the UK's equal second best town or village - despite it being a city.

The consumer rights organisation asked 5,333 readers to rate their favourite places in the UK, in terms of a number of factors from Attractiveness to Food and Drink.

Wells scored 88 per cent, putting it second alongside Castle Combe and Wiltshire, only behind Avebury - also in Wiltshire - that came in at 90 per cent.

The Which? editorial team said: "The awe-inspiring cathedral at the heart of Wells bumps it up to city status, but the scale and charm of the place feels more like a medieval country town.

"The 13th century cathedral, with its elaborately carved west façade, is an outstanding example of early English Gothic architecture.

"Vicars Close nearby is a rare example of a complete medieval street and is still inhabited by priests.

"More secular pleasures are to be found at the twice weekly markets, and these fascinating crowd-pleasers combined are likely why Wells scored five out of five for tourist attractions."

In the other four categories of Food and Drink, Attractiveness, Scenery, and Peace and Quiet, Wells scored four out of five.

In comparison to other towns and villages in the list, Avebury and Ironbridge in Shropshire also scored five out of five for tourist attractions.

Four-star Food and Drink locations include Grasmere in Cumbria, Ludlow in Shropshire and Ambleside in Cumbria.

Beating Wells with five stars in Attractiveness are Castle Combe and Lavenham in Suffolk, while topping the Scenery list with full marks are both Avebury and Castle Combe again, plus Castleton in Derbyshire.

When it comes to Peace and Quiet, Wells was level with a number of places including Saltaire and Hawes in Yorkshire, plus Dedham in Essex.