The UK city of London has been named the most congested city in Europe, with motorists wasting an average of 30h in traffic congestion last year.

A traffic scorecard report published by US-based transportation intelligence provider INRIX showed that London drivers spent an average of 96h in traffic in 2014, which is 14h more compared with the previous year.

In 2014, the UK’s population increased by 491,100, while London’s population also experienced high growth last year, increasing by 122,100 people.

"We need continued, sustained investment to boost capacity and modernise London’s road network."

The report shows that London overtook Brussels to become Europe’s most congested location, with 74h wasted in the Belgian capital last year.

Additionally, the report finds that the UK climbed one place to take the fifth spot for the worst traffic in Europe in 2014, although UK motorists spent 21 fewer hours in traffic than those in Belgium, where drivers spent 51h stuck in gridlock in 2014.

Last year, traffic congestion was up in 14 of the 18 UK metropolitan areas, compared with nine in 18 the previous year.

A ten-mile stretch of the A217, stretching from Sutton to the New Kings Road in Fulham was found to be London’s most congested road, costing drivers 139h each year in traffic.

However, the biggest increases in congestion by percentage were seen in North Staffordshire (37%) and the Coventry and Warwickshire area (33%), where drivers sat idle in traffic for 26h and 28h respectively.

Inrix president and CEO Bryan Mistele said: "For the third year running, traffic in the UK is up.

"The strong growth of the UK economy and rise in urban populations have resulted in an increase in the demand for road travel, significantly driving levels of congestion up across the country."

The company noted that the rise in traffic is down to the UK’s growing economy, which grew by 2.8%, its highest rise since 2006 and faster than any other major developed country.

Transport for London (TfL) surface transport chief operating officer Garrett Emmerson said: "London’s continued success has made it one of the world’s most popular cities in which to live, work and visit, which also makes it one of the busiest.

"We work hard to keep London’s traffic moving every day, through our state-of-the-art technology, traffic control centre and focus on tackling unnecessary roadworks.

"We are seeing unprecedented increases in population and this, combined with strong economic growth and the consequent increase in building and construction, creates more traffic.

"To tackle this, we need continued, sustained investment to boost capacity and modernise London’s road network.

"That’s why we invest every penny of our income in improving the capital’s transport network, including an unprecedented £4bn pounds over the next few years to transform junctions, bridges, tunnels, cycling lanes and pedestrian areas."