London only sixth most-stressed city in the UK despite highest overtime and commuting hours

London has been ranked as the sixth most stressed city in the UK, despite the fact that Londoners worked the most overtime and spent the most time commuting. Southend-on-Sea was voted the most stressed city in the country, while people in Derby appear to be the least stressed.

The research released by TotallyMoney.com on 20 April noted that people in London do the most overtime at 8.94 hours per week. It also revealed that Londoners spend at least 71 minutes per day commuting to work, with 78% people commuting by public transport or car.

TotallyMoney.com noted that unemployment levels, overtime, and average daily commutes were some of the main driving factors that contributed to stress in cities. In places where people "go green" and walk or cycle to work, stress levels appeared to drop. The amount of money left at the end of the month also contributed to lower stress levels, with people in Derby having an average of £1,084 in their bank accounts.

CEO of TotallyMoney.com, Alastair Douglas, said: "Stress can be incredibly damaging to your health and wellbeing, and is often closely related to people's financial situation. Here at TotallyMoney.com we are committed to making the credit market a fairer place, and recognise that poor access to credit can often dramatically increase stress levels."

Sunderland, which ranked as the fifth most stressed city in the UK, showed that people end the month with an average of only £20 to spend. In Southend-on-Sea, the UK stress capital, TotallyMoney.com noted that low average incomes alongside high crime rates made it hard for residents to lead stress-free lives.

Meanwhile people in UK's most relaxed city, Derby, only worked an average of 5.96 hours overtime each week. The city's relatively small size also means that many people are able to walk or cycle to work, rather than have to take public transport, while those who do are not required to travel for very long.