Summer is nearly upon us and whether you enjoy a nice cold pint or a sweet cocktail there is nothing Brits enjoy more than soaking up the sun in a beer garden. 

The team at credit card brand Aqua has conducted new research to determine which UK cities are the best for beer garden lovers, and Southend has topped the list.

Their research analysed factors such as the price of drinks, average temperatures, amount of sunshine, amount of rainfall, and the number of beer gardens in the different cities. 

Boasting the most sunshine of any city in the UK, according to the brand, with a huge 238 hours in summer, plus the least amount of rainfall at just 45mm for the season, Southend has been crowned the best city for a beer garden trip.

Their research shows a pint in the city will set you back just £3.50, while cocktails (£8.00) and soft drinks (£1.18) are also relatively cheap compared with other cities such as London. 

Wolverhampton came in as the second-best city for a beer garden trip, boasting the cheapest pint with beers costing just £2.75.

In third place is Southampton, thanks to its warm temperatures (18C) and a large number of beer gardens to choose from, with a whopping 213 in the city compared to Southend's 116. 

In celebration of Southend being the best for a beer garden trip, here are three of the most popular pubs with beer gardens in the city - according to Google Reviews:

Old Walnut Tree in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend

This pub boats a "huge" garden which is great for families. With more than 1,000 Google reviews, one happy customer wrote: "A great beer garden and play equipment to keep the under 10s busy. Great family pub."

The Alex in Alexandra Street, Southend

Described as a "buzzing" pub with TV sports, live music the all-important large beer garden.

One reviewer said: "Amazing food and drinks, great service and very friendly staff, definitely recommend to anyone who wants somewhere with good food and atmosphere and has a good garden."

Saxon King in Priory Crescent, Southend

This popular pub serves "traditional pub fare" along with curries and rotisserie chicken.

A customer commented: "Good pub a 20 minute walk from Southend city centre. Has a large car park and looks to cater for large groups. Small beer garden for the summer. With a little children's play area. Good selection of drinks with reasonable pricing and very friendly day staff who are polite and very happy to help out."