CUMBRIANS have the most sense of belonging, according to the national Place Survey.

The county was ranked as the top spot in England, with almost 70 per cent saying they felt they belonged to their neighbourhood.

Out of the 27 English county councils that took part, Cumbria also came top when it came to the extent to which older people believed the right support was there for them to live independently (38.3 per cent) and the percentage of people who believed their local council and police understood their concerns about anti-social behaviour and crime issues (30.3 per cent).

The most important factor from Cumbrians in making somewhere a good place to live was the level of crime, followed by health services and affordable decent housing.