Hounslow, Brent and Harrow are all among Britain's five most miserable places to live, according to a new survey.

Hounslow comes 129th out of 130 areas rated in the property website Rightmove's annual Happy at Home Index, with Brent 128th and Harrow 127th.

There's also not much cheer for Hillingdon, which is ranked 122nd, or Ealing (115th), but some of west London's other boroughs fared better with Hammersmith & Fulham (90th), Westminster (68th) and Kensington & Chelsea (55th).

Harrogate heads the list for the third year running, and there's no space in the top 10 for any London borough, with Richmond the capital's best placed neighbourhood in 19th.

Barking & Dagenham is Britain's glummest location, according to the survey, in which nearly 25,000 people were asked to rate their home on 12 criteria ranging from decor and space to community and safety.

Hounslow Council leader Steve Curran said: "Our own research paints a different picture to this one.

"Like everywhere in Britain, Hounslow faces some tough challenges at the moment. They are not unique to this borough and are challenges that can impact on people’s overall happiness wherever they live.

"That said, a comprehensive survey of local residents, carried out by an independent company within the last year, across a wide-ranging and truly representative group of people, shows that four fifths of local people (82 per cent) are satisfied with their local area as a place to live, using words like 'good', 'nice' and 'friendly' to describe it.

"So, while we are all too aware of the difficulties some of our residents are having in coping with the cost of running their homes and so on, and are doing all we can to help them, Hounslow people tell us a different story to the one told here. We know there is much more to do to make life better for all, but a lot of local people are clearly happy and proud to live here."

Hounslow is bottom of the heap when it comes to 'contentment' and the cost of running your home, finishing just ahead of Kensington & Chelsea in the latter category.

UPDATE: Is Hounslow really that miserable? What you think...

Homes in Harrow are most in need of a bit of TLC, with the borough ranked 129th for decor, and Hounslow, Brent and Harrow are all in the bottom five when it comes to the upkeep of the neighbourhood as a whole.

West London unsurprisingly rates poorly for space, with Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hounslow, and Hammersmith & Fulham all in the bottom 10.

But there is a huge divergence within west London in the categories of community, amenities and recreation.

In the former, for which people were asked whether they liked the local area, Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea were first and second, with Harrow (129th), Hounslow (127th), Brent (126th) and Hillingdon (120th) all languishing in the table's nether regions.

For amenities, Kensington & Chelsea came out top, while Hounslow was one from bottom, and for recreational facilities, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham both made the top 10 while Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon were in the bottom 10.

London maintained its reputation as an unfriendly place to live, with not one borough breaking into the top 20 for neighbourliness, and neighbours in Harrow (129th), Brent (128th) and Hounslow (122th) all among the 10 least friendly and most impolite.

As for value - probably the key factor for most house-hunters - pricey Westminster is somewhat surprisingly third and Hammersmith & Fulham is 23rd, with Hillingdon (128th), Hounslow (127th) and Brent (122nd) again propping up the table.

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt said: "We do not take the results of this survey seriously which uses selective data to come up with the same results year after year. The reality is that Brent is a fantastic place, evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of people who choose to live here.

"We accept that that rent prices are a problem for local people and this is the same across London. To tackle the problem we have announced two Mayoral housing zones which will build thousands of new and affordable homes, and create thousands of new jobs. Our pioneering initiative to encourage employers to pay the living wage is really starting to have an impact and our landlord license scheme is improving living standards for many of our residents.

"Above all, the people of Brent are what makes this a fantastic place to live. Our amazing, diverse communities are an example to everyone of how people from different backgrounds, countries, and cultures, can come together and create a really vibrant and exciting place to live."