Cumbria has been named in the top 20 most affordable places to rent in the UK.

The county finished in 14th spot in a study conducted by Home Stratosphere, who assessed rental conditions across the country.

The research examined each county and unitary district in England based on certain factors, giving each a score up to 100, with the  information sourced from the Office for National Statistics.

Cumbria was given a score of 78.8, with the average rent currently standing at £570 a month, which is an increase of 3.6% over the past year.

Residents were said to earn a median monthly wage of £2216, leading to a rent-to-wage ratio of 25.7%.

The score was the same as County Durham in 13th place, though their rent-to-wage ratio was lower at 23.4%.

The rankings considered key metrics such as median monthly gross pay, median rent, median rent percentage change from the previous year, and the resultant ratio.

Rutland in the East Midlands topped the list with a score of 85, seeing average rent costs dropping by 3.7% to £775.

In stark contrast, Westminster in London ranked 147th, with its residents having to navigate a significant average rent of £2,455.

This has risen by 22.8% from the previous year, forming 76.8% of their monthly income. 

The entirety of the bottom 20 was occupied by counties and districts from the south of England, with the sole south contender in the top 20 being Wokingham thanks to a score of 80.5.

Hartlepool, Kingston upon Hull and Warrington led the way for the north of England in the top 20, with scores of 82.1, 81.7 and 81.1 respectively.