Oldham residents are desperately searching for allergy antidotes almost 3,000 times a month, a new study has revealed.

The town has been named among the top places in the UK to be affected by high pollen counts – with people in the borough turning to the internet for help.

That is the finding of thermal imaging experts Tester.co.uk, that examined monthly search volumes and put together a list of allergy-related key terms.

These include ‘asthma attack’, ‘allergy testing near me’ and ‘antihistamine tablets’. The data was used to determine the places most likely to suffer from various allergies.

It revealed that Oldham is one of the most likely places for people to be feeling under the weather as a result of pollen. The average monthly search volume for allergy-related terms was 1,161 per 100,000 people. For Oldham’s population of 242,100, this equated to 2,811 searches per month.

Meanwhile, the research found that nearby Bolton was the most allergy-prone place in the country, with 3,428 average monthly searches for allergy-related terms per 100,000 people. Croydon and Lincoln took second and third place respectively.  

The three most searched-for terms in the study were ‘hives rash’, with 223,500 average monthly searches, ‘antihistamine’, with 73,000 average monthly searches, and ‘cetirizine’, with 59,333 average monthly searches.

According to the study, Manchester is the fourth city most likely to suffer from allergies, with 2,709 average monthly searches per 100,000 people. The second most Googled term in the city was ‘pollen’, with 1,103 average monthly searches, before ‘hives rash’ and after ‘antihistamine’. 

Oxford was found to be the least allergy-prone city, with an average monthly search volume of 402 per 100,000 people, followed by Derby and Kingston upon Hull.

Barry Atkins, chief executive of Tester.co.uk, said: “Whether it’s pollen, pets or food, there are a whole host of allergies that plague people daily.

“This study has highlighted the UK cities most likely suffering from said allergies, with Bolton coming out on top. ‘Hives rash’ is the most common allergy symptom across the UK according to the study, while searches for treatment, including ‘antihistamine’ and ‘cetirizine’ closely follow.”