House prices increased by 2.6% – more than the average for the North West – in St Helens in April, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 2.1% over the last year.

The average St Helens house price in April was £186,303. Land Registry figures show a 2.6% increase on March.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 0.7%, and St Helens was above the 0.3% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens rose by £3,900 – putting the area 21st among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Ribble Valley, where property prices increased on average by 10.6%, to £273,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in South Ribble lost 3.1% of their value, giving an average price of £208,000.

First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £167,400 on their property – £3,800 more than a year ago, and £51,000 more than in April 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £208,500 on average in April – 24.5% more than first-time buyers.

Property types Owners of semi-detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in St Helens in April – they increased 2.8%, to £194,269 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 2.6%.

Among other types of property: Detached: up 2.5% monthly; up 2.4% annually; £306,006 average Terraced: up 2.4% monthly; up 1.8% annually; £144,505 average Flats: up 2.6% monthly; down 0.2% annually; £105,514 average How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 14% less than the average price in the North West (£217,000) in April for a property in St Helens. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £281,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £365,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens. Trafford properties cost 3.4 times the price as homes in Burnley (£108,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Factfile Average property price in April St Helens: £186,303 The North West: £216,714 UK: £281,373 Annual growth to April St Helens: +2.1% The North West: +3.8% UK: +1.1% Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West Ribble Valley: +10.6% South Ribble: -3.1%