It’s not only TV presenters, comedians and singers that cannot resist the charms of Kent.

Scores of people are now following in the steps of celebrities such as Kelly Brook, Vic Reeves and Paul O’Grady by setting their home up in the county.

Kent topped a chart as the most popular county to move to in the UK, according to the Royal Mail’s Home Movers Barometer.

West-Sussex was the second favourite followed by Devon and Dorset.

Royal Mail found there were 4,661 moves into Kent, based on 600,000 mail redirection requests from January to June 2008.

Michael Lyons, 39, who moved from London to Herne Bay last April (2007) with his wife Kelly, loves the change in lifestyle.

He said: “Work is less stressful because you are out of the rat race. The quality of life is better by the seaside as there are a lot of things to do.

“You can also buy more property for your money. We have never looked back.”

Eddie Bridgeman, projects director for the British Urban Regeneration Association’s Seaside Network said: “We are encouraged to see more people choosing to make their homes in both traditional and new coastal resorts.

“Being a nation of islanders, Britons, have always had a strong affinity to living beside the sea.”

Colin Bradshaw, Royal Mail’s head of data strategy, said: “This gives us unique insight into the movement trends in the UK and allows us to identify the affect the economy has on the property market and also identify property hotspots.”