HART has been named the most desirable place to live – for the fourth year in a row.

The Hart District Council area topped the Halifax Quality of Life Survey, with Elmbridge in Surrey second.

Among the measures where Hart scored highly were its residents’ health and life expectancy, its weather, employment, low crime rate and broadband internet access.

Martin Ellis, economist at Halifax, said: “This is a remarkable achievement given the stiff competition that Hart has from several other areas.

“Importantly adults rated themselves highly in a recent Office for National Statistics personal well-being survey; they are satisfied, happy, believe what they do in life is worthwhile and are less anxious about their lives.”

The survey found that Hart has the joint highest average life expectancy in the UK, with more than 97 per cent of people reporting good or fairly good health.

Average weekly earnings are around £839 – 33 per cent higher than the UK average of £629.

However, the cost of living in the district is much higher than other parts of the country, with the annual house price 7.4 times the average annual pre-tax income, compared to a national average of 6.2.

The Hart area covers Fleet in the east to villages such as Long Sutton and Hook in the west, and boasts good road and rail links to London and the South Coast.

Councillor Stephen Parker, leader of Hart District Council, said: “We are all very proud to receive this recognition of the best place to live for the fourth year running.

“The environment, economy and community are right at the heart of our priorities, goals and promises as a council.”

He added: “Keeping it that way is becoming more challenging and as time passes we are obliged to accommodate more and more residents’ needs, such as housing, infrastructure, a strong economy and a range of community services.

“All of these will inevitably affect how much of the green and pleasant places which do so much to make Hart such a wonderful place to live.”