HOUSE prices increased by 2.1% in St Helens in July, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 8.1% over the last year – the highest in the North West.

The average St Helens house price in July was £190,945. Land Registry figures show a 2.1% increase on June.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices remained static, and St Helens was above the 0.6% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens rose by £14,000 – putting the area top among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Pendle lost 5.3% of their value, giving an average price of £125,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £172,000 on their property – £13,000 more than a year ago, and £55,000 more than in July 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £213,000 on average in July – 24.2% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in St Helens in July – they increased 2.3%, to £312,178 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 9%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 2.1% monthly; up 8.5% annually; £198,628 average

Terraced: up 2% monthly; up 7.6% annually; £148,754 average

Flats: up 1.8% monthly; up 5.6% annually; £107,801 average

How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 13.2% less than the average price in the North West (£220,000) in July 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 £290,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £379,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens.

Trafford properties cost 3.4 times the price as homes in Burnley (£111,000 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 July St Helens: £190,945

The North West: £219,887

UK: £289,723 Annual growth to July St Helens: +8.1%

The North West: +2.8%

UK: +2.2% Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

St Helens: +8.1% Pendle: -5.3%