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Rising house prices, a lack of access to essential services and a 3% rise in the number of people living below the poverty line are some of the stark findings of a new report on rural life, published by the Commission for Rural Communities.

The independent group is calling on the Government to do more to tackle the problems being faced by rural communities.

The report, the tenth in a series, is called State of the Countryside 2008 - it has findings for both Worcestershire and Herefordshire:

HEREFORDSHIRE

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WORCESTERSHIRE

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Their research shows that the number of people living in poverty is increasing faster in rural households (up 3%) than urban ones and now accounts for one in five families.

There is also a widening gap between sparsely populated communities, with 50% of weekly income going on essentials (food, housing, energy and transport), compared with 39% in the highest income rural households and 47% in its urban counterparts.

The report does find some positive benefits of rural life: rural areas generally enjoy healthier lifestyles, a better quality of life, and lower incidences of crime.