Out of the 25 largest cities and towns in the UK, Reading has the most searches for GPs and dentists compared to its population.

Around one in 50 people searching on average each month, according to research by cosmetic dentistry provider Longevita.

The news comes as readers told the Chronicle they were frustrated with struggling to get GP appointments.

The ease of making an appointment at a GP in Reading varies by as much as 40 per cent between practices.

Across the UK, Searches for ‘private GP near me’, ‘private healthcare near me’ and ‘private dentist near me’ exploded by 278 per cent, 261 per cent and 213 per cent above the average this October.

A spokesperson at Longevita said: “Amid fears of a winter NHS squeeze, characterised by difficulty getting a doctor’s appointment and long ambulance wait times, we are seeing an increase in people searching for private medical care online.

She continued: “Google Trends data reveals that demand has swelled threefold over the last ten years, with dentists and doctors in need across the country.”

In Reading, 2,256 searches each month are made for private and NHS dentists and GPS per every 100,000 residents – 61 per cent higher than the national average.

Exactly 606 searches per 100,000 people are made for dentists and 1,650 for GPs.