Birmingham has been named as the seventh best city in the UK to do business - although the city could be much greener, a survey has revealed.

The study, by travel management firm Portman Travel, asked company bosses what they looked for in a town or city when deciding where to locate their headquarters.

Bradford came out as the best place for business in the UK thanks to its skilled workforce, good transport infrastructure, including its access to airports, and low levels of traffic congestion.

London managed only a mid-table position of the 65 towns and cities featured, behind Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Birmingham.

Smaller cities - especially those based in the Midlands, such as Nottingham, Stoke, Derby and Leicester - also trumped the capital which finished 19th.

Nationally, Bradford was followed by Manchester, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Stoke, Glasgow, and then Birmingham in the top 10.

In the Midlands, Wolverhampton finished 13th overall, followed by Coventry (17th), Walsall (23rd) Dudley (24th), West Bromwich (45th) and Sutton Coldfield (63rd).

The worst location in the country was Oldham, followed by Slough, and then somewhat surprisingly Sutton Coldfield.

Bob Govan, marketing and development director at Portman Travel, said: "This result may surprise many although not, I guess, people in Bradford.

"Smart cities understand the importance of transport infrastructure to commercial success.

"Bradford's relative lack of traffic congestion, allied to its strong air and rail links, mean that it's much easier to conduct business there than in smaller towns or in a congested city like London."

Stoke was named the best - and London the worst - location for cost of land, while other categories included availability of talent, proximity to airports and railway network.

Walsall was named the best - and Birmingham the worst - for greenspace, while levels of traffic congestion and availability of suppliers were also rated.

Mr Govan said: "The industry leaders we spoke to gave more importance to certain factors than to others, which was taken into consideration in the weighting given to each location's score.

"This explains why London did not come top overall, because, despite coming out on top for several factors, it was also ranked bottom for cost of land and traffic congestion."

Katie Teasdale, policy advisor at Birmingham Chamber said the poll appeared to be a little unfair on Sutton.