Leicester's chronic road congestion has turned the city into the traffic jam capital of Britain, while Middlesbrough's free-flowing streets offer the country's smoothest and fastest commute.

Government figures revealed yesterday that traffic on urban roads cruises along at an average of 21mph during the rush-hour and 25mph in off-peak hours. Speeds have declined by 0.3mph since the last full-scale study five years ago.

The research found Leicester has the slowest streets of any city outside London, with an average rush-hour speed of 15mph. Other snarled-up areas include Nottingham and Bristol.

Motorists seeking an easy ride are advised to head for Teesside, where a low rate of car ownership means cars can cruise at 31mph during peak hours and at 33mph for the rest of the day.

Middlesbrough council said 34% of households in the Tees Valley have no car, compared to a national average of 27%.

The Department for Transport's study disclosed the extent of rush-hour congestion in Britain by finding that peak traffic spends 30% of its time at below 5mph.

The biggest improvement in travellers' experiences came at Southampton, where a hi-tech electronic traffic management system has helped to raise speeds by 3mph to 18mph - lifting the south coast city off the bottom of the speed table.