I was just going to ask a similar question but with different requirements, so i'll not confuse the thread by jumping in.
Regarding a US based host for UK sites, not a real problem unless you need to talk to billing or Tech support urgently when key people are not there, and many of the cheaper host's do not have 24/7 cover.
I have sent you an email about a UK host I use for work and US based host I have just seen some good reviews on.
*** Let me know if you got the message - or probably more than one, when I clicked to send the message I got taken to the PPrune recover password form! ***