Ten signals of areas 'on the up'

A sign of a property price boom?

Traffic wardens, builders' skips, and lots of burglar alarms are not usually welcomed by local homeowners.

However, according to a survey from ING direct bank, these are all key indicators of an area "on the up" with the potential for rising house prices.

After interviewing 200 estate agents, the bank drew up a list of 10 signs of an area's increasing prosperity.

Other signs include crowded public transport, ethnic restaurants and better school results.

TEN SIGNS OF AREAS ON THE UP Ethnic Cuisine Thicker telephone directories Crowded public transport Better school results Neighbourhood watch schemes More burglar alarms More skips and scaffolding Graffiti disappearing Planning notices appear More traffic wardens Source: ING Direct Is your area on the up?

The bank said that an area needed to display at least six of the 10 prosperity signs to be considered "on the up".

"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," said Lindsay Sinclair, ING Direct chief executive.

"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," he added.

Liverpool, Birmingham, Newham in London, and Bicester in Oxfordshire were specifically named as areas displaying signs of future growth.