One Kent area has been given high praise in a recent study on the best places to live in the UK.

Although Winchester came top of the Quality of Life survey, conducted by Halifax, Tonbridge and Malling came 14th out of all local authority areas in the country.

The study looked at a range of indicators, including the labour and housing markets, environment, education, health, personal well-being, and leisure.

Each district was given a score out of 10 for the variables, and these scores are used to work out the ranking.

Although there were 16 areas of the South East recognised in the top 50, Tonbridge and Malling was Kent's only offering.

Trudy Dean, county councillor for Malling Central and chair of West Malling Parish Council, said: "I have always enjoyed living in the Malling bit of the borough. The people here are friendly and get involved in their local village life, especially in helping others.

"But people are worried about the area changing too fast with disappearing countryside and traffic congestion, and life can be tough for people on low incomes, especially young people who find high house prices stop them settling here."

The survey also looked at a range of factors under each variable to get the scores, including things like rainfall and access to superfast broadband.

It found that the lowest average annual rainfall is in Castle Point in Essex, which only sees around 525mm of rain a year.

The sunniest place in the UK was found to be the Isle of Wight, where residents enjoy around 37 hours of sunshine a week on average, seven hours more than the national average.

Nicolas Heslop, leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, said: “It is very pleasing to see that Tonbridge and Malling achieves such a high rating.

“I think this reflects the fact that we have a rich blend of vibrant villages coupled with very beautiful countryside.

"Our good transport connections to London probably play a part, as does the exceptionally good range of indoor and outdoor leisure facilities we have available. The range of good schools must also be a key factor.

"There is no room for complacency though, and I remain committed to working hard to deliver improvements in the Borough, to enhance the quality of life in Tonbridge and Malling for all residents and visitors."