Average house prices in Shrewsbury fell by one of the smallest amounts across the country in the past 12 months, new figures showed today.

The county town’s property values dropped on average by just £56 a day – £20,537 in total – from £208,169 in March last year to £187,632 this month, according to leading property website Zoopla.co.uk.

Nationally the average UK home lost £100 off its value per day, with almost £1 trillion knocked off the value of properties as a whole.

But experts predict the prices will rise again this year as the housing market begins to pick up again.

House prices in England were among the hardest hit in the UK, dropping an average of about £110 per day – £36,643 in total – over the past 12 months.

According to the statistics, average house prices in England now stand at £202,447 – down 16.6 per cent on the same period last year.

Difficult

Homes in Wales saw their average value plummet by £24,954 over the last 12 months – down 14.7 per cent to £144,954.

Alex Chesterman, chief executive of Zoopla, said: “Homeowners have faced a difficult year in the property market and whilst there are not many positive indicators in the economy at present, house prices have now fallen to levels where buyer interest is beginning to grow significantly again.”

He said that providing buyers gained confidence that the price declines were slowing there was likely to be a recovery in market activity.

According to the figures, Shrewsbury is the fifth best “bright spot” in England, with a fall in prices of just 9.87 per cent.

* A survey published earlier this week by internet property search engine Globrix showed the average value of homes in Telford has fallen by more than 21 per cent, to £129,950, since the credit crunch began to bite in September.

By John Kirk