MANY people dream of living by the coast – but spectacular views and bracing air come at a price.

New research has found that Lymington in the New Forest is one of 14 seaside towns in England and Wales where the average property price is now more than £300,000.

Across the UK the value of seaside homes has soared by 63 per cent over the past ten years.

That is double the growth rate in the rest of the country, where average prices have increased by only 30 per cent, according to mortgage lender Halifax.

Salcombe in the exclusive South Hams district of Devon is top of the list. At more than £570,000 the average home is almost £50,000 dearer than the second most expensive seaside location – Sandbanks in Dorset, where residents include former Saints manager Harry Redknapp.

The average house price in Lymington now stands at £340, 944.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England described average house prices in seaside towns as “eye-watering”.