LEAFY streets, low crime rates, great school results and affordable homes — Bromley Cross has been named as one of the best places to live in the whole country.

The village has been ranked as the fifth best place in the country for young families to set up home.

It was chosen from a list of 2,400 postcodes in England and Wales because of its strong school results, property affordability, “great local library” and children’s centre.

The suburb’s ranking has been revealed in the first Family Friendly Hotspots Report.

Data used to compile the report shows low crime figures—annual incidents were 325 compared to the national average of 1,251— give the area an edge over other parts of the country, while average salaries — £31,918 — are well above the national average of £24,170.

Local schools, which achieve consistently good results, are said to make it attractive to parents, while the value of a twobedroom house is significantly lower than the national average of £167,659, standing at £140,046.

Analysts examined more than 60 sets of data to build up a detailed picture of each postcode in England and Wales using police figures, Land Registry information, Ofsted reports and ONS population data. Quantity and quality of early years care, along with access to green spaces and parks, local leisure centres, museums and theatres, were also considered.

Ward councillor David Greenhalgh said: “This is fabulous news for the area.

“It is a great place to live, it has that old fashioned village community feel, where the community back each other, as seen in the summer fair, but also respond together when there is a crisis.”

He added: “A lot of hard work goes into making Bromley Cross the place it is. The hard work is by local people and the voluntary organisations and it is fantastic.”

Cathryn Antwis, headteacher of Eagley Infant School, said: “We are fortunate in having such good schools in Bromley Cross.

“One of our great strengths is the way we work together across the schools to support each other in being the best we can be.

“All our schools value the strong partnerships that we have developed with families and it is this that leads to the best outcomes for our children.