St Albans has been named the top commuter city for London in a national survey.

The survey was conducted by Yopa Property Limited to create a London Commuter Guide, helping to identify the most affordable and accessible places to live outside of the capital.

By collecting data on average house prices, commuting time and new rail fares, the guide identified St Albans as the top commuter city, with Luton coming in second place.

As well as coming top overall, St Albans was ranked second best for commuting time at 18 minutes, and also has the highest number of trains per day.

Yopa’s local estate agent for St Albans, said: “St Albans is a gorgeous cathedral city which has plenty of character, a bustling centre and lots of open space.

“Most of my sellers tend to upsize in the area while Londoners come here for the fantastic schooling and excellent transport links. You can get a train straight into London St Pancras in around 25 minutes.”

Other factors Yopa considered when ranking commuter towns were proximity to good schools, low crime rate, the London terminal nearest to offices and abundance of local pubs.

St Albans’ status as an ideal commuter town was potentially put under threat by a hike in rail prices. Fares increased by 3.1 per cent on Wednesday, January 2, which is the highest rise in prices since 2013.

Daisy Cooper, who is the parliamentary spokesperson for the St Albans Liberal Democrats and the coordinator for St Albans Commuter & Passenger Action Group, said: “I love living in St Albans but for commuters like me, it comes with a hefty price tag.

“The timetable chaos and recent price hike have been particularly bruising, and we - the St Albans Commuter Action Group - are now getting reports that some long-term commuters are being priced out of the commute altogether.

“Ours is a magnificent, vibrant and welcoming city, but potential commuters will have to learn pretty quickly how to let off steam.”

The London Commuter Guide, which allows commuters to search for towns based on what factors are important to them, is available at https://www.yopa.co.uk/homeowners-hub/london-commuter-guide/