THIS may come as a surprise to many residents after last weekend’s drunken disorder in York, but the city has just come bottom of a new stag party league table.

Organisers say York’s flop in the ‘Premier Stag League’ will probably result in fewer visits from stag groups next year.

The league, based on research conducted by The Stag Company, which specialises in stag party planning, ranked the UK’s party cities on a ‘variety of measures that are vital for a great stag do’, including the price of beer and general costs.

It also looked at how much sunshine and rainfall each city got each year, based on official Met Office data, which played a key role in whether a weekend stag break was good or not, said a spokesman.

“The research takes into account ten distinct factors which were then combined to give an overall score for each location,” he said. "The winner in 2018 was Bristol, which beat off stiff competition from some of the nation’s biggest party towns.

“There had to be a loser and York was the unfortunate city sitting at the foot of the Premier Stag League table.

“Unusually York did not come last in any category that went into the scoring process. They simply scored poorly in most categories.”

He said York’s worst score was in nightlife, and claimed that although the city was popular with hens who might appreciate the beautiful location, Stags were looking for something else. The overall cost of a stag weekend in York was £2,002.

He claimed York could probably expect fewer visits from stag groups next year because of its ranking.

He conceded this could be a blessing or a curse, depending on people’s outlook, saying that while many were wary about some groups’ antics, many small businesses relied on the trade they provided.

Hundreds of residents hit out online last weekend about the behaviour of drunken revellers in York city centre, including stag and hen parties, who were seen urinating in public, vomiting, bawling and fighting.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell said residents felt their city was being ‘stolen from them’ by anti-social behaviour.