Barnard Castle, in Teesdale, has a low crime rate

Teesdale, in County Durham, topped a list of "best value buys" with average house prices of �113,000 and below average crime rates.

Five places in County Durham are in the top 20 of the best places to live for value and safety.

Lancashire and Wales also rank highly with four places each in the top 20 and Cumbria which has three.

But the report from UpMySteet.com found that Kensington and Chelsea, in London, topped the "bad value" league.

Close to half of people worry that crime is a problem where they live Julia Grinham, UpMyStreet.com

Average house prices in the borough were �642,000 and the crime rate was 38% higher than the national average.

The report found house buyers are paying more than �30,000 extra for a home in a safe neighbourhood.

And in rural areas, people are paying up to �63,800 extra for crime-free locations.

Julia Grinham, commercial director at UpMyStreet.com, said: "Close to half of people worry that crime is a problem where they live, so it's no wonder that we're prepared to shell-out to live in a safer environment.

"In general, the more expensive an area is, the lower the crime rate.

"However, the research will give Londoners pause for thought because not only do they pay well above the odds for property, they are also subjected to some of the highest crime rates in the country."