Renfrew has been named as one of the best towns to live in in the UK in a new survey.

Figures from the Royal Mail ranking market towns across the UK listed Renfrew as the 8th best in Scotland.

Langholm of Dumfries and Galloway was top and Renfrew was the only Renfrewshire town to make the list.

Gavin Newlands, MP for Paisley and North Renfrewshire, said: "This is great news for Renfrew. Renfrew is a thriving market town, with plenty to offer for people who live and work there, including a busy high street, job opportunities, housing, low crime rates and most of all, great people.

"To be named the 8th best market town in Scotland shows what a great place Renfrew is and is a testament to the work done by many people to improve the town.

"Every town has its challenges, but I’m sure that Renfrew can top this list in the future.”

The findings are based on a number of categories in each country including average earnings, house prices, access to services, crime figures, skill level of the local population and unemployment figures. Data from the 2011 UK Census is also used.

A spokesperson for Royal Mail said “This new study demonstrates the breadth of market towns providing attractive places for people across the UK to live and work in. For people who value a good work-life balance, there are plenty of market towns to choose from. Royal Mail connects communities and businesses across the UK, delivering to nearly 30 million addresses.”

Market towns are those in a rural setting that were given the historic legal right to hold a weekly market.