The Commuter Guide - Local information on house prices, property value and commuter access

LEIGH-ON-SEA blends a certain eccentricity (of the take-the-tricycle-rather-than-the bus kind) with airs and graces, and is more sought after than its neighbours. The old town in particular is worth going to see, since it retains its historical integrity as a working fishing village. You can watch the boats landing their catches, and the cockle sheds are well stocked. The two- or three-bedroom terraced cottages rarely come on the market and are quickly snapped up when they do, for £230,000 or more.

Birdwatchers are treated to endless sightings of migratory birds that stop off at Two Tree Island, a stretch of saltmarsh that was once a refuse dump. Many of the larger houses have been filleted into flats. Something with one bedroom might sell at £110,000, two bedrooms at £120,000. Unconverted Twenties’ and Thirties’ houses up on the cliffs go for over £250,000 to £400,000. There is pressure on properties within a walk of The Broadway and the station because car parking is impossible.