A growing number of British people have moved to the South West of England in the past decade, new figures show.

The Halifax found that about 300,000 more people moved to the region than left the South-West to live elsewhere, boosting its total population by a whopping 6 per cent.

This has also caused average house prices in the region to rise by more than 200 per cent over the last 10 years.

Only London and Northern Ireland have recorded larger increases.

Overall, the South East was the most popular destination for people to move to with 2.25 million arrivals from elsewhere.

But at the same time, 2.09 million people moved from the area to other regions.

As a result, the South East had a net gain from internal migration of 160,000, little more than half the increase in the South West.

According to the Halifax, the main factors behind people's decisions to head to the South West include low crime rates, improved quality of life, less pollution and better transport links.

Many of those heading to the South West were from London, the report revealed.

Tim Crawford, economist at the Halifax, said: "There have been significant population shifts across the UK over the past decade.

"The South West has proved to be a particularly popular area for people to move to from elsewhere in the UK.

"The high numbers of people moving to the South West have been a key factor contributing to the rapid rise in house prices in the region during the last ten years."

The average cost of a property in the South West of England currently stands at about £200,000, compared with the overall UK average of nearly £185,000.