Five Kent seaside towns are among those offering the best quality of life in Britain, according to a survey published today.

And, according to research by the Halifax, two of the towns offer best value for house prices while another is among the top ten with highest price tags.

Here’s how Kent fared in the Halifax seaside towns “quality of life” chart:

Whistable is the top Kent town, charting at number nine out of 35 towns on Britain’s “best quality of life” list.

Herne Bay is at 10, Hythe 12, Folkestone 17 and Dover 18. Top is Bexhill-on-Sea.

Hythe is in the top 10 most expensive seaside towns, standing at number nine with an average house price of £237,277. Top is

Sandbanks in Dorset where, according to the Halifax, the average price is £544,951.

The survey says Dover and Folkestone offer “best value” with average house prices of £152,400 and £173,228 respectively.

Withernsea in Yorkshire and Humber was top of the best value chart with an average house price of £91,360.

Nitash Patel, housing economist at Halifax, said: “Our research demonstrates that for homebuyers who dream of being beside the seaside there are good value hotspots where you don’t compromise on the standard of living.”

Halifax, now part of Lloyds Banking, says it uses key indicators of the labour and housing markets, the environment (including sunshine hours), education and health to determine living standards.

It bases its house prices on data from the Land Registry.

Mr Patel added: “Many seaside towns, particularly in the south west, offer an excellent quality of life but with house prices to match.”