PEOPLE living in Ryedale have some of the best quality of life of anyone living anywhere in the UK.

Halifax's annual quality of life survey puts Ryedale - which includes Malton, Norton and Pickering and takes in the beautiful Howardian Hills - number 8 in the top ten best places to live in the country.

The survey looks at a range of data covering the labour market, the housing market, the environment, education, health, personal wellbeing and leisure to rank the areas with the best quality of life.

High employment levels, low crime rate, strong exam results, smaller primary school class sizes and good health and happiness scores helped propel Orkney to the top spot, Halifax said.

Richmondshire in North Yorkshire took second place followed by Rutland in the East Midlands, Hambleton in North Yorkshire, which includes Northallerton and Thirsk and Eden in Cumbria. And Selby came in at number 50 on the list, which doesn't feature York, but does list Harrogate at 26.

Russell Galley, managing director at Halifax, said: "Orkney has consistently been considered one of the best places to live in the UK and Orcadians will be delighted to hear they have now taken the crown.

"Its remote location may not be for everyone, but this comes with the benefit of having high employment, low crime rates, smaller class sizes and more affordable housing."

"While the South East continues to have the most locations in the top 50, we've seen northern areas perform particularly well on education, while they also benefit from lower house prices when compared to average earnings."

Here are the top 50 places in the UK in Halifax's 2019 quality of life survey:

1. Orkney, Scotland

2. Richmondshire, Yorkshire and the Humber

3. Rutland, East Midlands

4. Hambleton, Yorkshire and the Humber

5. Eden, North West

6. South Oxfordshire, South East

7. Cotswold, South West

8. Ryedale, Yorkshire and the Humber

9. St Albans, East of England

10. Derbyshire Dales, East Midlands

11. Vale of White Horse, South East

12. Waverley, South East

13. Hart, South East

14. East Hertfordshire, East of England

15. Westminster, London

16. Winchester, South East

17. Rushmoor, South East

18. Uttlesford, East of England

19. Wychavon, West Midlands

20. Harborough, East Midlands

21. South Cambridgeshire, East of England

22. Rushcliffe, East Midlands

23. Ribble Valley, North West

24. Surrey Heath, South East

25. Wokingham, South East

26. Harrogate, Yorkshire and the Humber

27. Babergh, East of England

28. West Oxfordshire, South East

29. South Buckinghamshire, South East

30. Windsor and Maidenhead, South East

31. Warwick, West Midlands

32. Elmbridge, South East

33. Chichester, South East

34. Stratford-on-Avon, West Midlands

35. Lichfield, West Midlands

36. Malvern Hills, West Midlands

37. Rochford, East of England

38. Chiltern, South East

39. Shetland, Scotland

40. Richmond-upon-Thames, London

41. West Berkshire, South East

42. Basingstoke and Deane, South East

43. South Hams, South West

44. Fareham, South East

45. St Edmundsbury, East of England

46. Wycombe, South East

47. Mid Suffolk, East of England

48. Monmouthshire, Wales

49. Daventry, East Midlands

50. Selby, Yorkshire and the Humber

And here is the local authority district with the best quality of life in each region in 2019, according to Halifax's quality of life survey:

- South Oxfordshire, South East

- Rutland, East Midlands

- St Albans, East of England

- Wychavon, West Midlands

- Westminster, London

- Cotswold, South West

- Richmondshire, Yorkshire and the Humber

- Monmouthshire, Wales

- Orkney, Scotland

- Eden, North West

- Lisburn and Castlereagh, Northern Ireland

- Northumberland, North East