An agent covering the Suffolk patch where the Sizewell C nuclear plant is being constructed says some rents have doubled from £1,500 to £3,000 per calendar month.

A BBC investigation suggests that the town of Leiston, three miles from the power station, had been seen as a lower priced alternative to expensive coastal hotspots such as Aldeburgh and Southwold.

But Linda Druce, director and founder of Druce Estate & Letting Agents, tells the BBC that she can confirm speculation about the doubling of some rents.

She says: “I have been in the area for 21 years now and this is the first time we have seen such a significant jump, particularly in rental prices. It is mainly because of Sizewell C contractors and those looking to be working here over the next year or two who are looking to rent.

“The core of our clients are not likely to jump into wanting to get higher rents but we are seeing more people from out of the area who are buying buy-to-let properties. And quite frankly the local people who own them are more than happy to sell to the highest and best bidder.”

The £3,000 pcm rent is believed to include cleaning and utility bills.

Luke Vale, owner of the Hamilton Smith agency, says: “We look after hundreds of properties in Leiston. I am having to deal with tenants who are terrified that their landlords are going to kick them out just so they can go down this route to make more money.

“But that doesn’t factor in the number of landlords we have who do not want to increase their rent and are actually really good.

“The problem is a lot of landlords see pound signs and then the floodgates open and so, at the moment, if I put a house up for sale in Leiston, nine times out of 10 the viewing will be with someone who wants to buy it and rent it out per room.”

The average rent in Leiston is £773 pcm according to government figures, although this data has a lag and may not reflect the current position..

Some 2,400 workers at the new power station will be based on site, another 500 in a former holiday camp, and around 4,000 will have to move into local properties.