A NEW study of Britain’s ageing population has revealed Dorset has two of the oldest population areas in the country.

The average age of Christchurch residents is 50.1 years with those in East Dorset at 49.7, putting the two areas in fourth and fifth place in the Office of National Statistics’ population survey.

Only West Somerset, North Norfolk and Rother have older populations, compared with a UK average of 39.3 years. The youngest people live in Oxford, a city largely populated by students with an average age of just 28.9.

Other figures revealed in the study include Bournemouth, 39.5, Poole at 43.2, North Dorset, 43.8, Purbeck, 46.4 and the New Forest with an average age of 46.5.

High property prices and relatively low wages are being cited as the reasons for the high average ages in Christchurch and East Dorset.

John Mather, chairman of the Highcliffe Residents Association, said: “Both areas attract a lot of people retiring from London.

“People selling property in London and buying here keep prices artificially high – it is very difficult for young people to get on to the property ladder.”

The fastest population increase nationally has been the number of those aged 85 or over, which has doubled since 1983. There are also 1.5 million more over 65s, and more people aged 50 or over are active in the workplace.

A newborn baby boy is now expected to live 77.2 years while a girl’s life expectancy is 81.5 years.

The results of the study have been released to mark Older People’s Day, a national event aimed at bringing the generations together.

Hundreds of community events have been held all over the UK including one at the Littledown Centre in Bournemouth, where the Age Friendly Bournemouth Charter was launched.