AN unfortunately-named street near Worcester has topped a list of the most embarrassing addresses in the country.

Minge Lane in Upton-upon-Severn came first in a national vote, with estate agents claiming such streets are ideal for bargain hunters as would-be buyers are put off moving in because of the name.

A detached house in Minge Lane is worth about £253,000 while a similar property in nearby Longfield could fetch as much as £325,000.

But an Upton town councillor believes those looking for a house in Minge Lane shouldn't be put off.

"I would say, 'why not live somewhere like that'?" said Cllr Rosemary Webb.

"People are not likely to forget your address are they?

"I'm surprised at the difference in prices.

"I think people are, perhaps, over-sensitive.

"I'm pretty sure people in the town don't think twice about the name."

Minge Lane was followed in the poll by other unfortunate road names which all 'boast' lower house prices than their neighbours, including Slag Lane in Lancashire, Fanny Hands Lane in Lancashire and Bell End in the Black Country.

But one Worcester-based estate agent believes names like these shouldn't make a difference to property prices.

"I would be horrified to think that some people would not offer due to the name of the street," said Stephen Bradshaw from Town and Country Property Services which has its head office in Foregate Street, Worcester city centre.

"If the local residents of these streets were behaving like the name suggests then we might have a problem, but I would hope people have more sense than being put off by a name. It is not something I have come across."

Researchers from NeedaProperty.com asked 2,000 people to vote for the street name that they would be most embarrassed to have as their address.

Other streets include Crotch Crescent in Oxford, Turkey Cock Lane in Essex and The Knob in Northamptonshire.

Names closer to home which could have been on the list but weren't include Hornyold Road in Malvern and Cockshute Hill in Droitwich.

The UK's top 10 rude-sounding streets (see map):

  •     A: Minge Lane, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire (31 per cent thought embarrassing)
  •     B: Slag Lane, Lowton, Lancashire, 26 per cent
  •     C: Fanny Hands Lane, Ludford, Lincolnshire, 24.9 per cent
  •     D: Bell End, Rowley Regis, West Midlands (which goes into Mincing Lane), 22.5 per cent
  •     E: Crotch Crescent, Marston, Oxford, 19.6 per cent
  •     F: The Knob, Kings Sutton, Northamptonshire, 17 per cent
  •     G: Turkey Cock Lane, Stanway, Essex, 10.8 per cent
  •     H: Cockshoot Close, Stonesfield, West Oxfordshire, 10.1 per cent
  •     I: Cumming Street, Islington, London, 8.9 per cent
  •     J: Cock-A-Dobby, Sandhurst, Berkshire, 6.5 per cent