Perhaps the fine wines, cheeses and breads lure them. Or maybe it's the fact you can buy a comfortable villa for the price a poky flat in commuter-belt Sussex.

Then there is the prospect of escaping the daily grind of traffic jams, train delays and the infuriating quest for a parking space.

And, not to forget, the fact that David and Victoria Beckham have recently made a similar move themselves.

Whatever the reason - and, most likely, it is a mixture of factors - it seems more Brits are saying au revoir to England and setting up home across the Channel.

About 150,000 British people bought houses in France and Spain in 2001, rising to more than 200,000 last year.

An MOP survey revealed one in 14 Britons now owns property overseas and one in three expects to do so in the near future.

The Beckhams may have made a more headline-grabbing move to Madrid, but just a few months earlier they had invested in a £1.5 million villa near the Cote d'Azur, in the south of France.

Other celebrities to have embraced French country life, buying homes positioned amid acres of olive groves, orchards and vineyards, include Joan Collins, Sir Elton John, Tina Turner, George Michael and Bill Gates.

Colin and Margaret Mansbridge would be among the first to admit they share little common ground with Posh and Becks.

Almost twice as old and both local government accountants rather than international celebrities, the Mansbridges have at least taken a similar leap into the foreign property market.

The home they have had built in the idyllic Languedoc region of southern France has just been completed, enabling them to make the move from their three-bedroom house in Burgess Hill.

Mrs Mansbridge said: "France is such a beautiful country, with plenty of space and a lovely climate. The British housing market is so expensive now that a similar home here would be simply out of our reach.

"The housing market in France offers much better value for money than in the UK."

They decided to emigrate after travelling in Europe during 2000 and 2001 and weighing up the benefits of staying at home with the disadvantages.

Mr Mansbridge said: "At one point we thought of moving to Australia or New Zealand but decided it was too far away.

"But once we'd first considered moving abroad, I couldn't stop thinking about it and we narrowed it down to France or Spain.

"We had considered moving somewhere a little quieter in England - Devon or the Isle of Wight - to set up a B&B. But everywhere seemed so expensive."

As they investigated French property prices, the couple were stunned to find they could build a new four-bedroom villa, with a heated pool, for less than £200,000.

Mr Mansbridge said: "You'd have to pay at least double that for the same thing here in Sussex.

"We could even have gone for an older existing place and got it even cheaper but that would have meant spending more to do it up.

"The combination of the sunshine and the cost really made up our minds."

Mr and Mrs Mansbridge intend to return to England for some of the summer months, renting out their Languedoc home to holidaymakers.

Mrs Mansbridge said: "Life in France will be more relaxed. We'll have a lovely home in a beautiful location and we're looking forward to country walks, gardening, entertaining and discovering the local area."

Mr Mansbridge, 62, was an accountant for several councils in West Sussex, while his wife, 56, did similar work for Mid Sussex District Council.

Mr Mansbridge said: "We'll see what happens when we get out to France but this feels like an exciting challenge.

"I speak a little French, but my wife is better than me. She's been taking evening classes for the last year, while I'm relying on my old O-level knowledge."

Farmhouses in France can be bought for as little as £25,000, though research by overseas home lending firm Abbey National France recently revealed the average purchase price for British buyers was £150,000.

The firm's five most popular regions are Cote d'Azur, the ski resorts of Haute Savoie, Paris, the Saint Tropez area and Herault, near to Montpelier.

Managing director David Wells said: "Demand from UK buyers to buy a home to live or work in France has never been greater."

Sales rose by 66 per cent between 2001 and 2002.

Staff at Lewes-based firm Villas In Languedoc, which arranges the purchase or building of new homes, believe the exodus will continue to grow.

Managing director Roger Dixon said: "We have found many more couples are being tempted by the affordable housing available abroad.

"A new property in Languedoc costs approximately half the price of a similar one in South-East England, so you can understand why so many people are making the move to this idyllic region."

Whether the Beckhams will be popping round soon to the Mansbridges to borrow a cup of sugar remains to be seen.

Friday September 19, 2003