A historic West Sussex market town is one of the best places in Britain to live, according to a new survey.

The study revealed Midhurst has the second highest standard of living in the country.

The town, home to Lord Cowdray, came second in a quality of life survey published by Country Life magazine which looked at issues such as house prices, crime rate and local amenities.

Also considered were local character, historical or cultural buildings, transport links to cities, traffic congestion and how the area was expected to develop over the coming years.

Midhurst won praise for being "an island of tranquillity away from the transport problems of the South-East".

It scored highly on local history for sites such as Cowdray ruins and Midhurst Grammar School, which was founded in 1672 and whose former pupils include HG Wells.

Cowdray Park, dubbed the home of polo, helped the town score well on sporting amenities and on location, for being set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Residents said they were pleased the town had been recognised as a nice place to live.

Colin Hughes, chairman of Midhurst Town Council, said: "My first reaction to hearing about it was 'Why was Midhurst second and not first?'.

"Anyone who lives here recognises Midhurst is quite unique and a lovely place to live."

He said many locals would not consider the town to be an "island of tranquillity" as it had its share of traffic problems.

However, he said plans put to Chichester District Council to alleviate traffic bottlenecks around some of the town's historic locations would enhance the tranquil feel of the town.

Terry Groves, assistant manager at Midhurst Post Office, said tight planning regulations for AONB's meant little development had taken place.

He said: "I think that is a good thing because it has meant Midhurst has essentially stayed the same."

John Gates, manager of the Midhurst branch of estate agents Bradford and Bingley Gascoine-Pees, said: "It's a very popular place to live and being in the countryside seems to take away the stresses and strains of life.

"It has the best of both worlds because you don't have to go very far to be in the countryside and it is also close to other towns with fast rail links to London."

The best place to live in Britain according to the survey was Alnwick in Northumberland, the setting of Hogwarts castle in the Harry Potter film.