Horsham is one of the top two housing hotspots in the country.

A new study by Bradford & Bingley estate agents says houses are selling in nine weeks on average across the country. But properties in Horsham are going in less than seven days.

Horsham tied with Ipswich in the selling stakes, with the Suffolk town also competing for city status with Brighton and Hove. Estate agents said the town was popular because of its prosperity and employment opportunities.

Vivien Potiatynyk, senior negotiator for Halifax Property Services, Horsham, said: "Because of the incredible prices in the London suburbs, people are being driven out and coming to places like Horsham."

Ivan Stevens, from the economic development department of Horsham District Council, said: "It's a very nice place to live, very well located and served by trains and roads onto the motorway."

Behind Horsham and Ipswich in the list of quick sales are Newcastle, Didsbury in Greater Manchester and Ivybridge, Devon, where houses are being snapped up in under a fortnight.

The fastest-moving region is the east of England.

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