LYME Regis residents will probably not be surprised to hear that the resort has been crowned not only one of the best places to live but also one of the most expensive.

And while the town's beauty and charm is not in doubt, the fact it has some of the most expensive property is not great news for local young people and families wishing to buy a home in the town.

A league table of the best places to live in the UK - the "post-lockdown property hotspots" - published today puts Lyme at number 2 second only to Bath. Lyme has climbed 13 places from last year.

Compiled annually by independent buying agency, Garrington Property Finders, the Best Places to Live 2022 report ranks 1,400 cities, towns and villages before crowning one overall winner.

Every location is judged against four criteria - natural beauty, architectural beauty, quality of life and green credentials (which includes the number of public EV charging points and energy-efficient homes in the area).

Meanwhile, in a separate report on Britain’s most expensive seaside towns, Lyme comes in at number 8 with the average house price (2021 data) said to be 473,861. Top is Sandbanks, Poole which has an average house price of £929,187

The Halifax Seaside Town Review tracks house price movements in 191 seaside towns in Britain.

Earlier this year, Lyme was named one of the 'coolest' places to move to this year, according to The Times list which described it as “Hollywood-on-sea” because of its filming links.

Lyme Regis mayor Brian Larcombe said: “It comes as no surprise that Lyme Regis (has been described as) a very desirable place to live and as with anything wanted in high demand that will command a high price - that happens the world over.

“It confirms that the reasons people have made to live here are right, and it is a much-liked place to live and is enjoyed.

“I take comfort in that Lyme Regis is what we think of it and it is a testimony to the efforts of the people here who maintain its upkeep.

“We are very fortunate that west Dorset, Dorset and the south west are the places that people are wanting to live.”

The mayor says the area is ‘exclusive’ with more and more people coming back, which ‘does well for businesses'.

He continued: “If you can no longer build somewhere it will become exclusive, and businesses that supply the needs of the area will reflect that in pay for local people."