East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire in Scotland are the best places to bring up a family in the UK, according to a survey conducted by the Reader’s Digest .

The survey of 1162 parents also took into account official data, found that safe streets, strong schools and thriving towns along a low crime rate, were seen as the most important requirements for a family-friendly area.

Other factors taken into account included good local hospitals and affordable family housing.

For the record, the lowest ranked area, coming in at 408th place, was Reading in Berkshire. The best and worst places were ranked as follows:

Top ten places to raise a family

1. East Dunbartonshire 2. East Renfrewshire 3. Forest of Dean, Glos 4. Vale of Glamorgan 5. Hambleton, North Yorkshire 6. Fareham, Hampshire 7. West Lothian 8. South Gloucestershire 9. Ribble Valley, Lancashire 10. Uttlesford, Essex

Bottom ten places to raise a family

399. Oxford, Oxfordshire 400. Lewisham, London 401. North Lincolnshire 402. Rother, East Sussex 403. Kingston upon Hull 404. Haringey, London 405. Hastings, East Sussex 406. North East Lincolnshire 407. Waltham Forest, London 408. Reading, Berkshire