NEWCASTLE has cemented its reputation as a party town by being named the world’s top destination for both stag and hen nights from the UK for the first time.

A website aimed at the pre-wedding industry, Last Night of Freedom, said the Tyneside destination, was a hit with both men and women looking to let off steam before they tie the knot.

For stags, the top five cities in order were Newcastle, Prague, Budapest, Dublin and Nottingham.

For hens meanwhile, the top five cities in order were Newcastle, Dublin, London, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Traditional favourites such as Riga, which was in the top five last year, are noticeably absent.

Managing director of Last Night of Freedom, Matt Mavir, puts the changing trend of 2016 down to a number of factors, including Brexit and the falling value of the pound.

He said: “The rise in popularity of Newcastle and Nottingham for stag dos is not a surprise, but the absence of some big European cities certainly is.

“The enduring popularity of Newcastle as a top destination for the hen do is not really a surprise either, but shunning Barcelona and the Costas is.”

Mr Mavir said the stag industry alone is worth £500m to the UK economy annually.

In Newcastle, visitors flock to popular traditional nightspots in the Bigg Market and on the Quayside as well as the increasingly popular Diamond Strip in and around Collingwood Street.

As well as the shopping and wide range of restaurants in the centre, the city is also ideally placed for adrenaline-fuelled pursuits in the surrounding countryside and on the coast nearby.

For the stags, the previous winner for the last three years was Prague, in the Czech Republic, and for the three before that, Riga, the capital city of Latvia.

Hens also chose Newcastle as their top night spot in 2013 and 2015 year with Marbella resort area on southern Spain’s Costa del Sol, claiming the 2014 place.

London had previously won four years running.

Mr Mavir said: “Post-Brexit, the falling value of the pound has made foreign frivolity a fair bit more expensive.

“We will have to see if this is a sign of things to come; if so, it is certainly good news for UK cities.”