CARLISLE is one of the best places in the country to start a business, a new survey suggests.

The city has one of the highest start-up survival rates in the UK, with almost three quarters of firms set up there lasting beyond their first year.

This makes Carlisle the fourth most successful city in the UK in terms of the longevity of new businesses.

The figures have been compiled by Vonage, an American research company that has produced a "heat map" of towns and cities around the country.

Its researchers looked at businesses that were set up in 2014 and at how many of them were still in existence at the start of this year.

They found that, of the 499 businesses started in Carlisle, 73.5 per cent of which were still in operation. The UK average is 68 per cent. 

Winchester, in Hampshire, came top with a 77.6 per cent survival rate.

A spokeswoman for Vonage said: "When examining start-up survival by industry, the study found that health-oriented businesses were the most likely to succeed, while artistically-inclined businesses struggled more."

The most popular sector for start-ups in Carlisle was "business support services".

The study also found that the average broadband speed in Carlisle is 16.8Mbs and the average house price £145,828.