
The only way is Essex when it comes to choosing a nice place to live, according to new data – the district of Tendring in the much-maligned county is the most popular place in the UK.

The coastal hotspot, located in the north of the county mocked for its proliferation of tanning salons and nail bars, boasts a number of pretty seaside towns including Walton-on-the Naze and Clacton-on-Sea.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the area has the biggest ‘pull’ in the country. It has seen the biggest net inflow, in percentage terms, of any place in the UK over a decade.

For every 1,000 people who moved in between 2005 and 2015, only 773.8 people moved out.

The Jubilee beach at Walton-on-Naze in Essex. The area has proved popular for new residents over the last decade

The sea wall, beach and beach huts at Walton on the Naze, Essex, England, in the district of Tendring

Also in the district of Tendring are these period residential cottages between Manningtree and Mistley

TOP 'MOVE THERE' SPOTS 1. Tendring 2. East Lothian 3. East Devon 4. Cornwall 5. Rother 6. Uttlesford 7. South Norfolk 8. Isle of Wight 9. North Somerset 10. Christchurch Advertisement

TEN TO BID FAREWELL 1. Newham (London) 2. Brent (London) 3. Luton 4. Waltham Forest (London) 5. Blackburn with Darwen 6. Ealing (London) 7. Bradford 8. Haringey (London) 9. Kingston upon Hull 10. Boston Advertisement

In fact, rather than longing to move to the bright lights of Britain’s big cities, the data about people moving from one part of the country to another show that we do love to live beside the seaside.

After Tendring, more pretty coastal areas follow in the popularity list. Second is East Lothian, close to Edinburgh, which is known for its sandy beaches. There, just 791.8 left for every 1,000 who arrived.

Third is East Devon (797.3 leaving for every 1,000 arriving), which has Sidmouth as its administrative centre. Sidmouth captivated Poet Laureate John Betjeman, who called it ‘a town caught still in a timeless charm’.

The town centre of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, in the district of Tendring was popular for new arrivals in a new data analysis

St Edmund King and Martyr church, in Tendring, Essex, displays a beauty that has attracted people to move to the district

The Greensward, Frinton-on-Sea in Essex is another place in the Tendring district which has attracted many people

North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. The East Lothian district was ranked second for people moving to in the data

Sidmouth's timeless charm could be one of the reasons that East Devon has attracted so many people to live there lately

Cornwall - shown here at the Mevagissey waterfront - was the fourth most popular move 'there spot'

Lands End Peninsula, Treen Cliff, Logan Rock, West Penwith, may have been an attraction for those attracted to Cornwall, which ranked fourth on the list of most popular places to move to

Ranked eighth most popular to relocate was the Isle of Wight, where locals have easy access to spots like Shanklin Beach

North Somerset came in at number nine in the top ten. Pictured is the high street of Dunster, Exmoor village

In fourth place is Cornwall (799.6 leaving for every 1,000 arriving). The county has long been a favourite holiday location for David Cameron and his family. The former PM was pictured earlier this week munching fish and chips at Polzeath beach.

Also making the top ten are South Norfolk, the Isle of Wight, North Somerset and Christchurch in Dorset.

Rooftops of Rye, East Sussex, in the district of Rother, which was the fifth most popular to relocate

The district of Uttlesford, where Stanstead Airport is located, was among the popular 'move there' places. It was ranked sixth

The pretty little town of Christchurch in Dorset has lured plenty of newcomers over the past decade according to ONS data

The ONS figures do not include people coming from, or moving to, foreign countries. But they do identify the areas of the UK that people have been keen to move out of.

Newham, a deprived borough of London, has the highest level of housing overcrowding in the country according to the charity Shelter. But for every 1,000 people that move there, 1,498.1 move out.

Stratford in Newham experienced a renaissance thanks to hosting the 2012 Olympics but people are still keen to leave the borough

Hull is due to be the UK City of Culture in 2017 but over the period 2005-2015 it saw more people leave for other parts of the country than arrive

Luton town centre, Bedfordshire, was found to be one of the most unpopular places in the country according to the data which showed plenty of people leaving the area

George Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, may be popular for local shoppers but many have left the town according to new data

George Street, Luton, Bedfordshire. The town was ranked third most popular to leave in the new statistics

Despite the nation's love of football, Brent, home to Wembley Stadium, was the second most popular area for people to leave

Walthamstow market in London, England. The borough of Waltham Forest was among those with most people leaving

The data - analysed by the Mirror – show that London boroughs make up half of the top ten places where far more people have left than arrived. The others are Brent, Waltham Forest, Ealing and Haringey.

Elsewhere, Hull, which will be the UK City of Culture and also host the Turner Prize next year, still lands in ninth place, with 1,214 moving out for every thousand moving in.

Modern sculpture in Bradford City Park, City of Bradford, West Yorkshire. Bradford was the seventh popular city to leave

Ealing Common in London, where the Ealing Borough has not been popular for residents. Many were leaving, says new data

The Boston Stump, Boston, Lincolnshire. The district of Boston was ranked 10th of places people were leaving