BROMSGROVE has been named as the third best ‘commuter hotspot’ in the country.

Property website Zoopla ranks the town as the place to be for people who work in Birmingham but want to live on the outskirts of the city centre.

An average property price of £301,384 (as of December 2017) and a 9.61 per cent growth in house prices in Bromsgrove year-on-year form part of the ranking.

It means the high value of a home could offset the cost of an annual rail fare to Birmingham – which is a 30-minute train journey away – in just 16 days.

Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall said: “An easy commute into the office is often very near the top of the property wish list for those looking to move home, and these figures show just how valuable it can be to live within easy reach of a city centre.

“Towns with good transport links into Birmingham have performed particularly well in 2017 due to continued demand in the region, which offers better value compared to the south of the country.”

Zoopla’s list of the best commuter towns, released today (January 11) is formed by analysing annual property value growth in towns within an hour’s commute of Britain’s 10 largest city centres.

This growth was then compared to annual rail card prices to establish how many days it may take to effectively cover the cost of their annual commute.

Swanley in Kent has been identified as the best performing commuter hotspot, with Dursley – a town on the outskirts of Bristol – in second.

The full list of town's (including the nearest major city):

1. Swanley, London - £375,066 (10.78 per cent rise in house prices year-on-year)

2. Dursley, Bristol - £297,581 (9.71 per cent)

3. Bromsgrove, Birmingham - £301,384 (9.61 per cent)

4. Berkhamstead, London - £724,194 (9.18 per cent)

5. Blaydon-on-Tyne, Newcastle - £150,377 (9.09 per cent)

6. Belper, Nottingham - £252,308 (8.94 per cent)

7. Ilkley, Leeds - £404,944 (8.52 per cent)

8. Atherstone, Birmingham - £236,734 (8.26 percent)

9. Warwick, Birmingham - £383,488 (8.18 percent)

10. Bingley, Leeds - £231,536 (7.91 percent)