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1m country-dwellers 'live below the poverty line'

Britain's rural communities are facing severe financial difficulties, it has emerged.

A report from Dr Stuart Burgess at the Rural Services Network has shown that almost one million households in remote areas bring home an annual income below £16,500.

In other words, they live below the poverty line - belying the traditional stereotype of comfortable country living.

The Rural Services Network acts as the advocate for rural affairs for the government, and reports direct to Defra.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Burgess commented: "No government, whichever colour of the day, is going to interfere dramatically into the market economy, but what we can do is mitigate the problem."

To this end, his report recommends that the role of land trusts should be increased in remote areas - ensuring that property prices are kept low and that local people can fund their own home purchases through a comparatively cheap home loan.

Many rural areas, such as Cornwall and north Norfolk, have seen wealthy city-dwellers purchase second homes at a premium - pushing property prices out of the reach of local people.

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