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London’s high crime rates and expensive homes make it the least family-friendly city in the UK, according to a new survey.

The capital came bottom of the pile in research which rated the country’s biggest cities on their suitability for family life.

House prices, access to green spaces, school rankings, average salaries and crime rates were among the factors analysed.

The average house price in London is £483,803, putting the capital far behind cities like Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh for affordability.

Newcastle – where homeowners on average pay £161,255 - was ranked the most suitable city for people to start families, scoring well across all of the main categories that were considered.

It also took the top spot for its volume of schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted – 28 – and because it has more green spaces than any other city examined.

Joining London in the worst of the 35 cities surveyed by MoneysuperMarket, were Leeds, Sheffield, Hull, Glasgow and Birmingham.

The 10 worst cities to raise children in

1. London

2. Newry

3. Armagh

4. Leeds

5. Bradford

6. Sheffield

7. Glasgow

8. Kingston upon Hull

9. Brighton and Hove

10. Birmingham

According to the new guide for parents, people should also look to places like Derby and Wolverhampton when thinking about a place to live while raising children.

The average house price for a home in Derby, which was named as the second best place for families in Britain, is £148,437.

The survey found its key selling point was it has one of the lowest average house prices on the list, a low level of crime, with 17 burglary claims for every 1,000 home insurance quotes, the data found.

London’s comparatively high crime rate adds to its ranking as the worst place to raise children.

For every 1,000 home insurances quotes, 24 burglary claims were made in London.

In April, a study found that the capital was ranked only 16th in a global league table of the best places for millennials to live.

In the same survey, the capital scored particularly badly for the availability of affordable housing, and equally badly for the number of music festivals compared with its population.

For people intent on living in London however, Peckham was just ranked the best place to live in the capital in a prestigious list.

The south London district was revealed as the most desirable location in the capital in a list published in the Sunday Times this week.

Up and coming areas including Walthamstow, Canonbury and Muswell Hill also made this year’s top 10 list, according to the newspaper’s Best Places to Live Guide 2017.

On the most recent survey, a MoneysuperMarket spokeswoman said: “The Family Living Index was created to guide parents – or soon to be parents – looking to futureproof their next move.

“As well as choosing where to raise their families, moving home is also a key life-stage decision, and is one of the most common moments for couples to take out life insurance to protect their family financially should anything unexpected happen.”