A SMALL village in north Dorset has been named among the Top 50 Best Places to Live in the Countryside by a national newspaper.

The accolade has been given to Hazelbury Bryan, a few miles away from Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum, as part of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, which will be published this Sunday, March 1.

Crime rates, house prices and school performance data and statistics was combined with the local knowledge of Sunday Times writers to create the list of the top 50 countryside locations to call home.

Positive community spirit and good local shops and services were also considered before including the locations in the Top 50, as well as access to some of Britain's most attractive outdoor spaces.

Helen Davies, home editor at the Sunday Times, said: “Britain is home to some of the most idyllic and wild countryside, and this supplement is dedicated to celebrating the very best of rural life.

“We worked carefully to compile a list which combines statistical analysis with personal experience and Sunday Times expertise to create our top 50.”

Other places in the south west which feature on the list include Lympstone in Devon, St Minver in Cornwall and Nailsworth in Gloucestershire.