Prices dancing to the music

Britons living near the site of a major music festival might groan every summer at the prospect of another weekend of rattling windows and the faint hum of guitars, but their proximity to the UK's major music festivals could actually have a beneficial effect on house prices in the area.

That's according to Rightmove, which has said that a number of areas known for their music events - including Chelmsford in Essex, home to one half of V Festival, and Reading, home to - you guessed it - the Reading festival, have seen prices rise sharply over the past year.

"One of the great things about Glastonbury and other festivals is that people see the beauty of areas they may never have visited before and actually experience the local surroundings and journey time first-hand," commented Rightmove commercial director Miles Shipside.

So when you're battening down the hatches in Somerset next April, it might be advisable to consider just how useful that noise might actually be.