Ten locations in the south west have been named among the Best Places to Live in Britain by The Sunday Times.

The guide has declared Topsham, Devon, as the Best Place to Live in the south west.

The accolade comes ahead of the full reveal of The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide, including the overall winner, which is published on Sunday, April 14.

Falmouth comes in at number five in the south west list, with Bristol, Chagford (Devon) and Corsham making up the top four with Topsham.

Making up the top ten are Frome (Somerset), Lyme Regis (Dorset), Stroud (Gloucestershire), Tisbury (Wiltshire) and Windrush Valley (Gloucestershire).

The supplement assesses a wide range of factors, from employment, schools and broadband speed to culture, community spirit and local shops, in order to compile the definitive top locations to live.

The methodology uses robust statistics, including exclusive, up to date house prices provided by Habito and TwentyCi, but also the knowledge of The Sunday Times’s expert panel. The judges combine the hard data with their own on-the-ground experience and insight to ensure the chosen locations truly are places where everyone can thrive.

Topsham is a new entry on this year’s list, and hits the top spot straight away, named as the Best Place to Live in the south west for 2019.

The estuary town is close to Exeter, its 5,000-strong population are fiercely determined to keep it independent and quirky.

It has a real sense of community and, as part of their efforts to keep it free from coffee chains, the residents have started the Love Topsham scheme, which offers perks for shopping locally in return for a £3 monthly subscription. Its amenities keep improving.

Long-standing restaurants such as the Galley and Marcello’s have been joined by new enterprises: Nourish, a zero-waste shop; Sara’s Petite Cuisine, which serves delicious salmon rolls; and No 3, which offers gin, gin and more gin.

Every other year, there’s a summer feast, with the whole town lining the streets and quayside for barbecues and Barolo.

In total, ten Southwest locations are included in The Sunday Times Best Places to Live 2019. Four of these, Tisbury, Bristol, Stroud and Falmouth, have returned for another year.

The Southville area of Bristol is this year championed by the guide -thanks in part to soaring house prices that are putting many other areas out of reach. This loose grid of attractive period houses – some fashionably painted in colourful Bristol fashion – is sandwiched between Wapping Wharf, the urban hub that’s the highlight of the revitalised harbourside, and North Street, one of those stretches of defiantly independent shops for which Bristol is famous.

Locations in Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire are also new to this year’s list with Corsham, Lyme Regis and the Windrush Valley getting the nod. The Dartmoor village of Chagford, in Devon, returns to the list after a couple of years absence.

The Sunday Times Best Places to Live in Britain covers the following regions: North and Northeast, Midlands, Northern Ireland, Southeast, Wales, Southwest, East, London, Scotland and the Northwest. It also reveals the overall best place to live in the UK.

The Sunday Times’s unique understanding of the housing market and in-depth property coverage helps readers find a place to call home, whether they are hip young professionals, growing families or discerning downsizers.

Helen Davies, The Sunday Times Home editor said: "Finding our very own best place to live now feels more important than ever, for our wellbeing and wealth, happiness and health. Wherever you are on the property ladder The Sunday Times has championed 101 locations across the UK, and crowned one lucky winner, that we think is a great place to make a home.

"This year we were looking for community spirit along with convenience and culture. There is so much going on around the country, and so many great places that the choice was a hard one."

Daniel Hegarty, Founder and CEO at Habito, the online mortgage broker said: “The Sunday Times Best Places to Live really is essential reading for anyone looking to buy, move or renovate their home in the UK.

“We know there are many reasons, beyond house prices, why people live where they live in the South West. But, regardless of location, getting a mortgage can be the most hellish part of buying. Habito exists to make mortgages easier - whether that’s for a couples' first flat in Bristol, a rural cottage in Stroud or a historic home in Frome.”

For longer entries, more on air quality, broadband, transport links, comprehensive listings of good schools and lifelong learning opportunities, local voices and property prices you can go online at thesundaytimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive.

Until April 15, readers can subscribe to digital access for £1 per-month for three months.

Readers can also join in the conversation online by sharing their favourite places and why they love them, using the hashtag #STbestplaces.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk/bestplacestolive for the full list.