EARLEY has been ranked in the top 10 places to live in the country, a national report has revealed.

A family hotspots report by OneFamily, a specialist in family finances, has identified the town as number five in the rankings.

The report, which is now in its fifth year, helps families by revealing the best places to live in England and Wales by analysing everything from education, safety and childcare costs to local amenities, affordable property and green spaces.

The report rates each post code, and RG6 has cemented itself among the country's elite towns, and joins Wokingham, which received first place, as the only two towns in Berkshire to make the top 20.

Town Mayor Melanie De Jong, said: "What a great place this is with such brilliant amenities managed by a very efficient town council."

Earley Town Clerk Philip Truppin, added: "Given the very good schools with above the national average results they achieve and the very low crime rate in Earley, I am not at all surprised that the town has come up so high in the rankings."

The town boasts both primary and secondary schools, a shopping centre, a rail station and more.

The report scores towns on percentages of different categories compared to a national average.

Earley is statistically one of the safest towns in the country, with a crime per capita rate of just 0.08 per cent, compared to the national 0.2 per cent.

A spokesman for OneFamily said: “Life’s milestone moments are often exciting but they can also be stressful, and moving house is right up there with the most difficult.

“We have created an easy way to help them find the best place to live. This includes our report and the Family Hotspots calculator.

“It helps answer the key questions when you’re trying to find the right home, including, are we near the right school for our children? Is it safe? Do we have everything we want nearby?”