People looking to move to the country will need the help of local communities to find the right area for their new home, it has been suggested.

Martin Collett, operations director for the English Rural Housing Association said that buying a house in the country is most difficult for the younger generation who do not have the option of affordable housing.

This means that young people are often forced to look elsewhere and so miss out on employment opportunities they could have achieved had they lived in a certain country location.

He said: "Local communities can get involved in tackling this issue by working with housing associations to research and develop projects that are designed to help people from the villages with a connection to the village."

The Commission for Rural Communities recently found that social housing accounts for only 13 per cent of housing stock in rural areas, compared with 22 per cent in cities.

People interested in moving house may wish to consider making the process easier by using self storage facilities.