Greggs Sausage Roll Index reveals how long people in Sheffield have to work for to afford baked treat

Out of 100 towns and cities across Britain assessed, Sheffield ranks 52nd for the time it takes to earn enough to buy one of the famous sausage rolls, according to research funded by InvestingReviews.

In Sheffield, it takes four minutes and seven seconds on average – 1m09s longer than in table-topping London.

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Most of the top areas are in the South East, with York – 21st nationally – ranking highest in the North of England.

Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster rank 80th (4m27s), 84th (4m29s) and 92nd (4m39s) respectively.

Simon Jones, CEO of InvestingReviews, said: “Amid all the Government’s talk of levelling up, a great divide still exists across Great Britain today.

“As the cost of living squeeze continues to intensify, Brits are going to have to work a lot harder in the future to afford life’s simple pleasures. The Government is going to have to take urgent action if its flagship policy doesn’t become a millstone around its neck.”

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The Index, produced by InvestingReviews and independent economist John Hawksworth, does not include petrol forecourts or travel hubs where a premium is often charged to cover land costs. These have been deemed ‘outlier sausage rolls’.

John Hawksworth said: “In part, the analysis is a bit of fun with the sausage roll standing in for the Big Mac as a standardised product to compare purchasing power across different places.

“But it does also make the serious point that there are very large variations in income levels across our towns and cities.”