Newcastle-under-Lyme - the Staffordshire market town once home to the designer of the Spitfire - featured on the list by Which? due to its large number of green spaces and happiness rating.

The remote Outer Hebrides, a chain of small islands off the west coast of Scotland famed for its stunning coastlines, also made the list, due to its happiness rating and high density of GP surgeries.

Wrexham, the Welsh former mining community, has attracted much media attention through the Hollywood owners of the city's football club.

But it features on the list of best places to retire, thanks in part to its proximity to areas of natural beauty, including parts of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley.

The borough of Merton, home to Wimbledon and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, represents London on the list with its impressive green spaces, including National Trust site Morden Hall Park.

In Northern Ireland, Mid and East Antrim came top - receiving the highest score for healthcare, scoring a perfect 10 out of 10.

Others to make the list include the Hertfordshire town of Broxbourne, Elmbridge, in Surrey, the Devon cathedral city of Exeter, the borough of High Peak, in Derbyshire, and Kirklees, in Yorkshire.

South Tyneside represents the north east of England, while the Greater Manchester town of Stockport features for the North West.

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Jenny Ross, Which? Money Editor, said: "Whether you've always dreamed of escaping to the countryside or the seaside, the decision of where to retire can be just as important as the decision of when to retire - and our latest research has uncovered gems across the UK that would be great places for retirees to consider."

The research was carried out by the consumer group from a survey conducted of more than 1,000 of its members to determine what is most important to them when they retire.

Healthcare access (88%) topped the list of important factors for respondents, followed by green space (75%) and proximity to local leisure activities (31%).

Many also said they would prefer to live somewhere with low crime levels.

The analysis by Which? involved applying these factors to find the top-scoring local authority for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and each of the nine regions in England.

Which? gave each local authority a score out of 10 for healthcare, happiness, green space - specifically parks and playing fields - and also considered house price affordability.

The top ranking location for each of the UK's 12 regions was then selected for the list.