It’s nappies all the way at a new housing estate which is having a spectacular baby boom.

The patter of tiny feet is growing steadily louder among the 322 residents at Aylesham Village, near Canterbury, where 17 babies have been born since the site opened just two years ago.

The development now has a dummy-dropping annual birthrate of 27 births per 1,000 people, dwarfing the national birthrate of 11.9 births per 1,000. It is also higher than that of fast-growing India, where the annual birthrate is 20 per 1,000.

Among the latest additions is tiny Tabitha Symon, who was born just two months ago to parents Natasha, 30 and Jamie, 31. The couple moved into their four-bedroom home in March last year, together with big brother Harry, now two.

Natasha says there’s never a dull moment with so many new babies being born.

She adds: “Having so many new young mothers around has helped to bind the community together.

“There’s always something family-orientated going on. Everybody knows everybody and we all have something in common, being new parents.”

Natalie Perry, of Barratt Homes believes the baby boom has been sparked by an influx of first-time buyers using the government’s low deposit Help to Buy scheme.

She says: “We knew when we were developing these homes that they would be a perfect fit for young couples looking to start new families. However, we didn’t quite expect to see so many beautiful babies born just two years since the first residents moved in!”

The country with the highest birthrate is Niger, with 51 births per 1,000 people.

Barratt Homes has three and four-bedroom properties for sale at Aylesham Village, Aylesham, near Canterbury, starting at £229,995. For information ring 0844 662 6414