A COUNTY Durham town has bagged the title as Britain's most affordable town.

The property market was central to last week’s Budget, with the Chancellor announcing measures to help people get on the property ladder. 

To help you on your search for a new home, property site Zoopla has revealed the most affordable towns and cities across the country. 

To calculate which areas are the most affordable, Zoopla analysed house price-to-earnings ratios, based on a two-earner household on the average salary for the local area.

Shildon in County Durham takes the crown for the most affordable place to live, with an average house price of £59,468 and price to earnings ratio of 1.1.

The town is home to the Locomotion museum, though currently closed due to the Covid lockdown, which is a top attraction in the town and celebrates the region's rich history with railways. 

Shildon was once the major centre for railway engineering thanks to the Shildon wagon works, which closed in 1984. 

Ferryhill, also in County Durham, ranks in seventh place with a median house price of £72,264 and price to earnings ratio of 1.35, with lower house prices and the dominance of terraced housing driving affordability. 

With County Durham being home to the gorgeous countryside, both areas have a lot to offer home hunters searching for a rural idyll. 

Scotland towns otherwise dominated the top ten, with towns in historic Ayrshire dominate with Kilbirnie and Cumnock ranking in third and fourth place respectively, and Stevenston, Irvine and Girvan all featuring.

Scotland’s affordability is linked to two key factors; strong earnings locally and more reasonably priced property, with average house prices in all of these towns below £65,000. 

Cleator Moor and Egremont, both in West Cumbria, also came in the top ten.