Birmingham trails only London in a list of the UK's motoring 'danger cities', new research reveals today.

Places around the country have been rated in a survey for how likely their inhabitants are to crash or have cars stolen.

And the results do not make good reading for Birmingham motorists who emerged as the second-worst drivers in the country.

The capital topped the list for accidents, far ahead of Birmingham and Manchester, and also scored badly for vehicle theft, coming in as the fourth worst in the UK.

The safest drivers were in Belfast and Cambridge, while anyone determined to protect their motor at any cost should move to Aberdeen or Exeter, where cars are least likely to get stolen.

The league tables were compiled by insurer Endsleigh using policy data from the last four years, and rate each location on the number of insurance claims per person - reflecting the likelihood of theft or crashing rather than just the size of the city.

Leeds had a particular problem with vehicles being stolen with more than double the national claims average.

Tim Larden, spokesman for Endsleigh, said the overall national figures showed a slight drop in car crime recently, while accident figures remained steady.