BOTH Chard and Yeovil in Somerset are currently in strong contention to be named the UK's most depressing places to live, with the result voted for by the public.

Yeovil has reportedly made 'big gains' in the poll this week, hosted by ILiveHere.co.uk.

Voters were asked by the site to vote for towns which evoked 'bland, boring, soul destroying mediocrity with a gaping cultural void... the towns where you just exist rather than live'.

153 British towns made the shortlist, and Yeovil currently sits in seventh place with 2.25% of the vote, ranking more depressing than towns such as Luton, Slough, Grimsby, and Jaywick.

Chard currently has 0.41% of the vote.

Other Somerset towns which made the shortlist include Yeovil with 2.25% of the vote, Wells which currently has 1.16%, Taunton with 0.56%, Weston-Super-Mare with 0.25%, and Frome with 0.09%.

A spokesperson for ILiveHere said: "From home counties commuter dormitories that close down at 10pm to seaside resorts that are ghost towns in winter, this poll is about them.

"Tourist traps like Padstow that have been expunged of locals to make way for weekend AirBnBs or places that exist solely to part Americans from their money like Edinburgh and Canterbury.

"This poll covers the length and girth of Great Britain taking in Scotland and Wales for the first time."