The sleepy county of Rutland in the East Midlands countryside has been named as the best rural place to live in Britain.

Residents' good health, rate of employment and weather were among the many factors taken into account by the annual Halifax Rural Areas Quality of Life Survey, which saw Rutland named as the rural idyll for the first time.

Over 96 per cent of residents reported good or fairly good health, while weekly earnings averaged a high £626. The county also enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the country, less rainfall per year than the national average and an adult population which is among the most happy, satisfied and content in Britain, according to the ONS survey on national well-being.

However, all that satisfaction comes at a price, with average house prices in Rutland 6.7 times the average annual pre-tax local income, compared to the national average of 6.2.

Chiltern in Buckinghamshire was named as the second most desirable location to live, followed by Uttlesford in Essex.