THREE towns in Dorset have been identified as areas where people wish to purchase a second home in.

A new study by Lakeshore Leisure Group analysed the Google search history of over 100 UK cities since the beginning of the first national Covid lockdown, to find which coastal and rural locations were being searched for the most in relation to second-homes and holiday homes.

Urban inhabitants are most interested in second homes in South West locations, with Salcombe, Falmouth, St Ives, Brixham and Newquay all in the top six most Googled holiday home towns.

Three areas in Dorset made the top 20, with Bournemouth placed seventh overall with 9,220 searches, tenth-placed Weymouth attracted 7,500 searches while Lyme Regis saw 4,660 searches and placed 19th overall.

Dorset Echo: Weymouth beach on a warm summer's dayWeymouth beach on a warm summer's day

A spokesman for Lakeshore Leisure Group believed that the combination of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted people to find a way to regularly escape their urban homes and guarantee a much-needed holiday escape whilst international travel remains uncertain.

In addition, Google Trends shows an all-time high for ‘second home’ searches in July 2020 which have remained high into 2021, and rising property prices in the South West and other rural towns and villages across the UK prove the interest is turning into serious demand.

Where UK city residents want second homes, according to Google Data:

Second-Home Location'; Second home’ searches made by UK cities since April 2020

  1. Salcombe, Devon - 19,990
  2. Falmouth, Cornwall - 12,370
  3. North Berwick, East Lothian - 12,140
  4. St Ives, Cornwall - 11,550
  5. Newquay, Cornwall - 10,470
  6. Brixham, Devon - 9,270
  7. Bournemouth, Dorset - 9,220
  8. Whitstable, Kent - 8,800
  9. Whitby, Yorkshire - 7,910
  10. Weymouth, Dorset - 7,500
  11. Tenby, Pembrokeshire - 7,350
  12. Torquay, Devon - 7,200
  13. Blackpool, Lancashire - 6,790
  14. Padstow, Cornwall - 6,180
  15. Ullapool, Ross & Cromarty - 6,170
  16. Scarborough, Yorkshire - 5,780
  17. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk - 5,330
  18. Bude, Cornwall - 5,280
  19. Lyme Regis, Dorset - 4,660
  20. Filey, Yorkshire - 4,650