DORSET’S coastline is the most expensive place to buy a home by the sea in England, it has been revealed.

New figures show the true price of living by the sea- and Dorset has come out on top.

Across Britain, homes within 100 metres of the sea are worth on average up to 12 per cent more than properties up to one kilometre away.

And the figures reveal that for England, Dorset has the most expensive coastline of any county, with properties near the sea selling for an average of £393,000- 46 per cent more costly than those inland.

Sophie Chick, associate director at Savills, said that a survey of people looking to move last year revealed that the view from a property is the most desired attribute a property could boast.

She said: “That means living by the sea comes at a cost, with a clear price premium for proximity to the coast.”

The figures reflect the high prices of the most desirable postcodes in the UK including hotspots such as Sandbanks in Poole- which has some of the highest property values in the world- and neighbouring Canford Cliffs.

Properties currently on the market in the area which, as the crow flies are just a short distance from the sea include Poxwell Manor which is on the market for £3.25m. The White House in Osmington is on the market for £1.275m Further inland in Preston, Seven Acres Road is selling for £925,000.

Michelle Hind, chairman of Weymouth and Portland's Chamber of Commerce said that more houses were needed in the area to bring the prices down but that the figures were evidence of a high demand for homes in Dorset.

She said: “It works on a supply and demand basis, if the demand’s high and if we don’t have the supply of houses then the prices go up.”

Keith Fensom, head of residential at Savills in Canford Cliffs said that a high percentage of buyers were aged 50 and above and were looking to live close to the coast in the hope that they would find a better quality of life, to purchase a second home or to retire.

He added: “People who have busy lifestyles seem to want a home that is easy to maintain or to easily lock up and leave if they travel a lot. The location of a property is often more important to our buyers than the size of the accommodation.”

Polly Greenaway of Dorset property professionals Domvs said that Dorset features some of the most stunning coastline in the UK and there is a 'real surge of interest' in prime Dorset property right now, with prices near the coast achieving fantastic sales.