Romford has been named one of the cheapest places for families to buy food.

According to analysis conducted by Compare My Mobile, the market town has been ranked as the fourth most affordable town or city in the UK.

It is not so good for penny watchers in Hounslow, Chelmsford and Watford, however, as these locations top the most expensive towns in the UK.

A shopping basket full of "most common shopping items" costs families in Romford on average £43.91 per week, compared to £62.66 in Hounslow.

This equates to a monthly saving of £80.63 and a staggering £975 a year for families in Romford.

A Compare My Mobile spokeswoman said despite the overall basket adding up to less, some individual items were higher in Havering.

"The cost of food in the UK continues to rise, but does the postcode lottery apply when it comes to how much we spend on our food," she said.

"Of the top 10 towns analysed, Romford ranked the fifth most expensive place to buy milk, whilst residents in Hounslow can buy the same for 50per cent less.

"Romford also ranked amongst the most affordable towns for bread and eggs, but is the third most expensive place to buy cheese.

"Meat costs almost four times less for shoppers in Romford versus those living in Hounslow."

The cost of food in the UK increased by 2.5pc in March 2019, the highest rate of inflation since November 2013.

There was a large increase in ambient goods rising by 3.4pc again the highest since February 2013 with the increase following on from global commodity prices and extreme weather events. Despite these rises, the cost of waste from food manufacture is an eye-watering 1.8 million tonnes according to DEFRA which has prompted major UK supermarkets to sign up to a food waste pledge.

The study was conducted using data source numbeo.com and ONS.gov.uk.