Image copyright Geograph Image caption Bebington (top left), Craigavon, Morriston (bottom left) and Neilston are among the most 'desirable' postcodes

Bebington in Merseyside is the most desirable place to live in England, according to a Royal Mail survey.

Neilston, south-west of Glasgow, polled best in Scotland, Morriston in Wales and Craigavon in Northern Ireland.

Royal Mail said the study, conducted by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, looked at green spaces, affordable housing and commuting times.

Seven northern locations, including Dalton-in-Furness in Cumbria, were in the top 10 in England, the survey said.

Bebington residents, who live near the River Mersey and Port Sunlight model village, "enjoyed the ideal balance" of living close to their workplace, good schools and high employment, according to the report.

By Phil Cooper, BBC Radio Merseyside, in Bebington

Situated less than 10 miles from Liverpool, Bebington has been attracting people for well over a century with its laid-back charm. Villagers boast of a rural lifestyle combined with plenty of jobs and cultural highlights on their doorstep.

The nearby Port Sunlight village, built at the end of the 19th Century to house workers at the Lever soap factory, is now home to an art gallery and museum. Unilever still employs about 2,000 people in the area.

A future prime minister, Harold Wilson, studied here as a teenager and many of the schools retain their reputation for high academic achievement.

Throw in a fine choice of pubs and restaurants and good links to the historic city of Chester, and residents say the "Most Desirable" title is fully deserved - this is a place they never want to leave.

In Scotland, semi-rural areas on the outskirts of cities fared best "thanks to the affordable cost of living, lower levels of crime and better schools".

They were also judged to have better transport links than more remote locations.

Morriston, just to the north of Swansea, was praised for its "mix of low unemployment and reasonable house prices".

Meanwhile, Craigavon in County Armagh - a planned settlement built in the 1960s - was described as having "lower than average commuting times and fewer people working over 50 hours a week".

The most desirable postcodes according to nation

England

CH63 - Bebington, Wirral

IP5 - Kesgrave, Ipswich

LA15 - Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria

NR8 - Taverham, Norfolk

FY6 - Poulton-Le-Fylde, Blackpool

DT1 - Dorchester, West Dorset

WA1 - Warrington, Cheshire

CH62 - Eastham, Wirral

CH45 - Wallasey, Merseyside

LA13 - Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria

Scotland

G78 - Neilston, East Renfrewshire

G64 - Torrance, East Dunbartonshire

G66 - Lenzie/Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire

G62 - Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire

G76 - Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire

G61 - Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire

G46 - Giffnock, East Renfrewshire

EH5 - Granton, Edinburgh

EH7 - Edinburgh central/Bellevue

EH11 - Edinburgh

Wales

SA6 - Morriston, Swansea

SA7 - Birchgrove, Swansea

CF64 - Penarth

SA61 - Haverfordwest

SA4 - Gorseinon, Swansea

LL55 - Caernarfon, Gwynedd

SA9 - Ystradgynlais, Swansea

SA31 - Carmarthen

CF24 - Roath, Cardiff

LL11 - Wrexham

Northern Ireland