CLACTON has been named as one of the country’s top “retirement hotspots” for pensioners.

New research has unsurprisingly shown that most of the top 20 UK locations with the highest proportion of pensioners are seaside towns.

A study by investment platform easyMoney found Christchurch in Dorset leads the list of UK retirement hotspots, with two-fifths of the adult population of 73,000 made up of pensioners.

But other popular retirement areas included Clacton, north Norfolk, and Bexhill and Battle in East Sussex, the report said.

Andrew de Candole, chief executive of easyMoney, said: “Retirement hubs on the coast give people a laid-back lifestyle and an established community of retirees on their doorstep.

“As the population of the UK ages, these areas are likely to continue to grow.

“There are reasons the seaside retirement dream has endured across so many generations.

“Getting away from towns and cities to a clean, quiet coastal resort is something that retains broad appeal for many older people.”

Sheila Hammond, secretary of the Tendring Pensioners’ Forum, said despite its attraction, Clacton is not so rosy for all retirees.

She said: “A lot of people want to retire to the seaside, but it does create its own problems.

“Couples generally move away from their friends and families and when one of them dies the other is left isolated, which happens a lot.

“Clacton would be a good place to live for pensioners if social care was better.

“It is extremely hard to get doctors here because they know their workload is going to be so much more because of the high proportion of elderly people.

“What we need in this area is better social care and joined-up thinking with GPs.”

Mrs Hammond added that despite the issues, Community Voluntary Service Tendring did a wonderful job at helping people in need.

The long-running Tendring Pensioners’ Action Group, of which Mrs Hammond was the secretary, closed in December due to its ageing committee and members.

But former chairman Mike Le Cornu and Mrs Hammond have taken it upon themselves to launch the Tendring Pensioners Forum in a bid to fight for pensioners’ rights.

They have this week written to Clacton MP Giles Watling to call for better dental care for the elderly.