Internet searches: Mapping Britain’s capitals of top banter

Two lads partake in boozy banter (Alamy)

If you’re looking for a flat share in a “lovely house”, where key features include “mucking in”, “movie nights” and “banter”, (or just want to avoid them) then you’re in luck.

The search function on spareroom.co.uk allows you to look for keywords when searching for a new place.

Nick Walker, 23, who works for a London PR agency, began posting the mapped results of his searches for the likes of “creative” and “banter” on Twitter.

“I was retweeted a few times and I saw that some people started suggesting these places to others, who took it seriously,” he tells The Independent. “So somehow, I’ve become an enabler of the banter.”

The area of Tooting in south London seems particularly popular for those houses or flats advertising either their banter, or looking for others who enjoy banter. One in Clapham insists “banter is a necessity!”

Many read like awkward dating profiles, with people admitting that they like a “cheeky” drink/cocktail/BBQ, and the word “vino” being mentioned in 46 ads.

The “word” “LOL” appears 118 times, spread fairly evenly around the country, but there was only one “lols”, in east London. “Bubbly” is fairly well spread across the UK, with a healthy section in the north. But for meticulous types, there are no results for “anal” north of Leeds.

Search for “drugs” and most say “no”. But one place in Cricklewood, north-west London, says: “We are impartial to substance use but will not tolerate living with you if you have a serious drug addiction.”

Other strange results, one hopes, are the result of typos, such as the house share in Chelmsford which suggests that: “Parking fatalities are also available...”