Research rates North Kesteven as property gold

The investigation was carried out by property sales website OkayLah which looked at the total crimes committed per 100 people across each council region, compared to the average house price, awarding each an index score.

The research shows North Kesteven is the best buy with an average house price of £208,230 and just five crimes committed for every 100 residents, ahead of Broadland District Council in Norfolk.

City of London, Westminster, Kensington and Camden are worst nationally with Cambridge the worst outside London, mainly due to small populations and high average house prices.

CEO of OkayLah, Paul Telford, commented: “While price is always one of the initial criteria when deciding where to buy, the safety of an area is right up there in the decision-making process, particularly for those either starting or already with a young family.

“Unfortunately, affordability and low crime levels rarely go hand in hand, but as always, by doing your research you can find a compromise.

“We recommend looking at crime statistics, reading back through local news, visiting an area at different times of day and even talking to the neighbours or other locals, to ascertain a more granular view of where you might like to buy.”

Jamie Aspland, Sleaford branch manager at Pygott & Crone estate agents said: “This is fantastic news for North Kesteven in the current, uncertain political climate and changeable housing market and we wholeheartedly agree with these findings.

“We’ve seen an increase in buyers who look at these surveys and are drawn to our area due to the affordable houses, low crime rates and good schools.”