'We've quit Britain for beautiful island three hours away with barely any tax'

Brits are shunning Dubai to move to a beautiful island just three hours away from the UK where you hardly pay any tax.

Another advantage of moving to the sun-kissed Mediterranean destination is that one of the official languages is English.

A flight to Valletta, the capital of Malta, takes just over three hours from London with temperatures as high as 21C even in November.

This is one of the things that attracted Louise Burley, 46, who moved from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, with her husband Kevin, 70. The family moved to the village of Ta' Xbiex.

She also told the Times that there are many things that feel like home on the sun-kissed island. She said: "They drive on the same side of the road, there are red postboxes, HSBCs on the corner and they have Marks & Spencer.

"I don't think we could have coped with being in the UK much longer. We were getting ... squeezed every day, taxed on everything. We have a couple of houses we rent out and there is hardly any point in keeping those."

As well as the weather, the tax system is another benefit for potential expats. The tax residency scheme allows participants to benefit from a preferential 15% tax rate on foreign income remitted to Malta.

Gains from assets overseas are tax free while there is no inheritance, wealth or estate tax to pay. The visa also includes access to statutory healthcare.

According to Jamie Favell, of the Tax Advisory Partnership, which specialises in cross-border tax planning, Malta's status as a former British colony with similar tax laws means the system is "straightforward".

This means many British expats are choosing Malta over popular destinations such as Dubai, Italy and Portugal.

Malta was part of the British empire from 1814 until the state gained independence in September 1964. The island became part of the empire after Britain helped liberate it from Napoleon.

The late Queen lived on the outskirts of Valletta for two years before she became monarch when Prince Philip was stationed there by the Royal Navy.

The country's two official languages are Maltese and English making it simple for expats to get by.

Bradley Thurston made the decision to move permanent to the Maltese area of Xemxija earlier this year when he faced a big bill to renew his wife's British visa.

According to the 54-year-old, there is only one thing he misses.

He told The Times: "She is putting her salary in the bank and we are living off mine. It's a no brainer. We will never come back. The only thing I miss is the football."