St Albans has scored high on a list of the best locations to raise a family in and around London.

Online estate agency, Yopa, placed the Cathedral city third on their hotlist, which ranks areas on a number of factors, including Ofsted reports, GP access, crime rates, green space and higher earning potential.

The Happy Family Home Guide 2018 interactive tool (www.yopa.co.uk/family) allows house hunters to type in their budget before filtering which variables matter most to reveal the most suitable location.

Walton-on-Thames in Surrey topped the list, while Tunbridge Wells in Kent came second.

Researchers also asked parents based in the capital for the reasons they would like to leave London.

59 per cent of those with school aged children said that improving their family’s prospects was a major priority – the highest dissatisfaction figure across Britain.

Concerns about crime are the main reason that London parents want to quit the capital, with 29 per cent listing this as an issue.

More than a quarter of London parents said they would like to move to a new home within the commuter belt, with 27 per cent saying they’d prefer a property within 25 miles of the capital. Somewhere like St Albans…

The top 10 family locations in and around London:

1. Walton-on-Thames, Surrey

2. Tunbridge Wells, Kent

3. St Albans, Hertfordshire

4. Esher, Surrey

5. Brentwood, Essex

6. Guildford, Surrey

7. Richmond upon Thames, Greater London

8. Chelmsford, Essex

9. Maidenhead, Berkshire

10. Harrow, Greater London