They symbolise a quieter way of life, often preferred by those reaching old age.

But new research suggests that bungalows are on the decline nationwide - unless you live in Norwich.

Figures show the single-storey dwellings account for less than 7pc of all homes currently on sale across the UK.

However, in Norwich, they make up more than 16pc of the 883 properties on the market.

The Fine City is ranked 6th out of 75 major towns and cities for having the highest percentage of homes for sale that are bungalows.

Of the 883 properties on sale, 147 are single-storey homes.

Topping the table is Worthing, where they make up 24.1pc of all homes currently on the market.

It is followed by Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Mansfield and Southend.

In Norfolk, Great Yarmouth has the second highest percentage of bungalows for sale, at 15.8pc, followed by King's Lynn.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the scale, London has the least, with just 129 bungalows on the market out of 13,854 homes.

And in Cambridge, only 10 out of 405 properties are single-storey homes, ranking it 5th.

Alex Gosling, CEO of online estate agents HouseSimple.com, which put together the data, said: 'We could be facing a specific housing shortage that hasn't been addressed, or certainly hasn't been at the top of the government's priority list.

'There is a lack of suitable housing for the older generation, and with fewer bungalows being built and the existing stock declining or off the market indefinitely, there is a crisis brewing that could put a terrific strain on the care home system and NHS in the next decade.

'We have an ageing population but there isn't the housing infrastructure in place to meet the needs of this demographic.'