In winter the average is between 2 and 7 degrees Celsius (36–45 degrees Fahrenheit), but temperatures often drop to just below 0 degrees Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit). Thankfully, most houses, buildings, trains and buses have good heating systems.

Winter is the coldest month in the UK, with temperatures often dropping well below freezing. There’s often frost covered lawns and fields every morning, ice-covered car windscreens and sometimes snow.

So why is winter cold in the UK? The shorter days and the reduced height that the sun reaches during winter means that in the UK we are warmed up a lot less in the winter than in the summer. The same is true of all the different countries in the northern hemisphere.

Average temperatures Average yearly temperatures at low altitude vary from 7°C in Shetland, in northern Scotland, to 11°C on the south-west coast of England. The coldest (and highest) place is Ben Nevis – altitude 1,344m – where the average temperature is less than 0°C.

Perth

Generally Brits are lucky to live in a very safe society, where they can feel safe and secure wherever they choose to live. However some places in the UK are obviously safer than others. Provident asked thousands of people in cities across the UK to rate how safe their hometown is.

London does have a higher crime rate, as it is the popular capital city. Although the crime rate in London has been growing, it is still comparably a safe city. According to the Economists Safe Cities Index, London is the fourteenth safest city in the world.

According to these, the boroughs with the highest proportion of people living in poverty are Tower Hamlets (39%), Newham (37%) and Hackney (36%). In contrast, these estimates suggest that Bromley (15%), Richmond upon Thames (15%) and Bexley (16%) have the lowest rates of poverty.

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is one of the poshest neighborhoods in the world. It is home to fashion stores, the world-renowned department store, Harrods, and banks that cater to wealthy individuals. Many of the world’s richest people call Knightsbridge home and it has some of the most expensive properties.

The three most expensive boroughs in London are Westminster, Kensington, Chelsea and Camden. These premium districts with beautiful architecture, grand properties and celebrity residents rarely move from the top slots.

The most affordable areas to buy a property in London have been revealed, with outer south and east boroughs dominating the list. Bromley is the most affordable London borough for potential buyers, although its house prices earnings ratio of 6.7 is still higher than most local authorities across Britain.

Bexley

The Bronx has the distinction of being the most-affordable borough in NYC; it also saw steep declines in transactions for what was already the least-active borough. Here it is: the most affordable neighborhood in all of New York City.

Top 10 most affordable UK towns to purchase a property

• Shildon, County Durham (£60,000 average property price)
• Cumnock, East Ayrshire (£74,000)
• Ferryhill, County Durham (£70,000)
• Peterlee, County Durham (£71,000)
• Girvan, South Ayrshire (£84,000)
• Cleator Moor, Cumbria (£93,000)
• Stevenston, North Ayrshire (£77,000)