Scaffolding and skips; meals sans chips

Scaffolding, skips, ethnic cuisine and traffic wardens are all signs that an area is on the up and will see big rises in house prices, according to a new report.

Other things to look out for when choosing where to buy you next home are: packed trains, burglar alarms and neighbourhood watch schemes, it was claimed.

Savings firm ING Direct and the Future Foundation think tank looked at data from around 200 estate agents, which suggested areas with these indicators would have house price rises of 13% above the national average.

Birmingham, Newham in London, Liverpool, and Bicester in Oxfordshire were named specifically as "growth" areas.

ING Direct chief executive Lindsay Sinclair said: "Everyone wants to know if the area they live in or are planning to move to is 'on the up', in order to find out whether their home is a good investment.”

“Our report reveals a number of signposts that will help homeowners to find out whether an area is set for better things.”

"Traffic wardens and more crowded public transport are not things you would normally welcome, but it appears that such annoyances do come with a silver lining."