House prices increased by 1.8 per cent in Cheshire West and Chester – including Northwich - in April, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 13.3 per cent annual growth.

The average Cheshire West and Chester house price in April was £234,481, Land Registry figures show – a 1.8 per cent increase on March.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the North West, where prices decreased 2.6 per cent, and Cheshire West and Chester outperformed the 1.9 per cent drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Cheshire West and Chester rose by £28,000 – putting the area 17th among the north west’s 43 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Eden, where property prices increased on average by 24.1 per cent, to £230,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Carlisle gained 3.2 per cent in value, giving an average price of £142,000.

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Cheshire West and Chester in April – they increased 2 per cent, to £178,137 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 13.8 per cent.

First-time buyers in Cheshire West and Chester spent an average of £193,000 on their property – £22,000 more than a year ago, and £38,000 more than in April 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £270,000 on average in April – 40 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 27.9 per cent more than the average price in the north west (£183,000) in April for a property in Cheshire West and Chester.

Across the north west, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £251,000.