Brighton is one of the worst cities in the UK at dealing with colds, according to new research.

Residents of Sheffield were crowned the hardiest in the country when dealing with the common cold.

Research by cold remedy company Olbas into 2,000 people, 100 from each of the 20 biggest UK cities, found that as well as being able to go about their daily business with the ailment, those in the steel city also take the fewest sick days because of it - with only half a day off annually.

They were followed by those in Liverpool, Glasgow and Oxford, as cities which also perform well when feeling under the weather.

However, it was Londoners who are most likely to struggle to perform when suffering from a cold.

And those in the capital are also catching the most colds - averaging five a year, compared with Sheffield, where they are only catching two.

Brighton placed 17th out of 20 in the poll.

The results:

  1. Sheffield
  2. Liverpool
  3. Oxford
  4. Glasgow
  5. Newcastle
  6. Plymouth
  7. Norwich
  8. Leicester
  9. Cardiff
  10. Southampton
  11. Leeds
  12. Cambridge
  13. Edinburgh
  14. Bristol
  15. Belfast
  16. Manchester
  17. Brighton
  18. Birmingham
  19. York
  20. London

Dr Roger Henderson, GP and spokesman for Olbas, said: “We are all used to having an occasional cold. In fact, on average, we will catch at least two each year and we expect to get better quite quickly from them.

"The Covid pandemic, however, has changed our behaviour in many ways including our attitudes towards health hygiene and how we work when we are feeling unwell.

“It is really fascinating to learn about the different types of attitudes each part of the country has when it comes to dealing with colds.

“And it certainly seems there’s somewhat of a North-South divide in terms of the amount they are catching and also how they continue with their business, or not as the case may be.

“But at the end of the day, we are all different and have our unique ways of how we cope and treat the common cold.”

The research found that, overall, 30 per cent of those polled would work from home if they were suffering from a cold, while 41 per cent would struggle into their place of work.

More than half (51 per cent) say their employer has not encouraged them to stay away at the first sign of a cold since it reopened following the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

But 54 per cent recognise colleagues are now more likely to steer clear of the office if they have caught a sniffle.

When talking about the symptoms of a cold, blocked and runny noses are the most difficult ones to deal with.

In fact, 63 per cent say they struggle with embarrassment in public because of the symptoms they suffer from, with coughing the one most likely to make them feel uneasy when out and about.