Research by the Co-op has revealed that residents in Norwich are the least lonely in the UK.
The survey of 2,000 adults found that 57pc of people in Norwich said they never felt lonely, compared with only 37 per cent in Bradford and Belfast.
In the UK as a whole, 44pc of people said they did not feel lonely.
The Co-op said its findings followed increases in the number of people living alone, and of a third of marriages breaking down before the 20th anniversary.
Richard Pennycook, the Co-op's group chief executive, said: 'Whilst Norwich has fared well in our research, loneliness is a problem that does not discriminate.
'It affects young and old, fit and unwell, those living in cities, but also those living in rural communities.
'Our partnership with the British Red Cross will see us raise the profile of loneliness and highlight the impact it has day in and day out on people's lives.'
People were also likely to feel less lonely in Edinburgh, Coventry, Newcastle, Southampton and York, said the report.
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