HOUSE prices dropped by 1.5% in St Helens in August, new figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 5.7% over the last year.

The average St Helens house price in August was £187,197. Land Registry figures show a 1.5% decrease on July.

Different to North West

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 2.4%, and St Helens was lower than the 1.5% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens rose by £10,000 – putting the area sixth among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Fylde, where property prices increased on average by 9.2%, to £249,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Hyndburn lost 1.6% of their value, giving an average price of £127,000.

First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £168,600 on their property – £9,600 more than a year ago, and £49,400 more than in August 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £208,800 on average in August – 23.8% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest fall in property prices in St Helens in August – they dropped 2.1% in price, to £304,318 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 6.1%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: down 1.6% monthly; up 6.1% annually; £194,361 average

Terraced: down 1.1% monthly; up 5.5% annually; £146,492 average

Flats: down 1.5% monthly; up 3.8% annually; £105,793 average

How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 16.9% less than the average price in the North West (£225,000) in August 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 £293,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £380,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens. Trafford properties cost 3.4 times the price as homes in Burnley (£113,000 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 August St Helens: £187,197

The North West: £225,248

UK: £292,924

Annual growth to August St Helens: +5.7%

The North West: +4.6%

UK: +2.8%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

Fylde: +9.2% Hyndburn: -1.6%