Bristol has been knocked off first place in an annual league of Britain's most sustainable cities but is still ranked first for quality of life.

Newcastle is now officially the most sustainable city in the country, with Bristol in second place, having been named first in 2008 and third in 2007.

The study measures cities on 13 indicators of environmental performance, quality of life and how well prepared they are for the future, looking at issues such as action on climate change and how vibrant the economy is.

Bristol leads the way in several areas including household waste collections and the percentage of household waste that is recycled.

In terms of quality of life, Bristol is the best city to live in the UK, measured on employment, transport, education and life expectancy.

The city scores low in "green spaces", the number of Green Flag or Green Pennant awards that the city has received per 100,000 members of its population and, in economy, the number of VAT registrations per 10,000 residents, as a measure of the economic vibrancy of the city.

Forum for the Future said Newcastle's success showed cities could overcome a heavy industry heritage to become environmentally and socially sustainable. The forum's chief executive Peter Madden said: "We hope it will inspire other cities to redouble their efforts."