House prices up in Telford but down in Shropshire and Powys

But both Shropshire and Powys saw drops of 0.3 per cent and 0.7 per cent for the month.

The latest data from the Office of National Statistics shows that the average property in Telford & Wrekin sold for £168,608 – significantly lower than the UK average of £229,431.

In Shrewsbury the average property sold for £212,261 – below the UK average of £229,431, and in Powys it was £182,308.

Across the West Midlands, property prices have risen by 2.7 per cent in the last year, to £196,489. The region outperformed the UK as a whole, which saw the average property value increase by 1.2 per cent.

The data comes from the House Price Index, which the ONS compiles using house sale information from the Land Registry, and the equivalent bodies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The average homeowner in Telford and Wrekin will have seen their property jump in value by around £29,000 in the last five years.

The figures also showed that buyers who made their first step onto the property ladder in Telford and Wrekin in May spent an average of £138,147 – around £23,000 more than it would have cost them five years ago.

In Shropshire the average homeowner will have seen their property's value increase by around £31,000 in the last five years.

Buyers purchasing their first home in Shropshire in May spent an average of £171,312 – around £24,000 more than it would have cost them five years ago.

In Powys the average home now costs £24,000 more than five years ago, with first time buyers spending £160,345 – around £21,000 more than five years ago.

Residential research analyst at estate agent Savills, Lawrence Bowles, said: "The average UK house price rose by 1.2 per cent in the year to May 2019, down from 1.5 per cent in the year to April.

"London stands out this month as the nation’s worst performing region: prices there fell 4.4 per cent compared to this time last year. The North East also saw prices fall 0.7 per cent year-on-year, a reversal from annual growth last year of 1.4 per cent.

"In every other region prices increased. The North West saw the strongest annual growth, followed by Wales and Scotland at 2.8 per cent.

"With house prices lower relative to earnings, lower deposit requirements, and strong economic growth prospects, we would expect to see stronger growth in the North, particularly the North West, over the next few years."

Between April last year and March this year, the most recent 12 months for which sales volume data is available, 2,828 homes were sold in Telford and Wrekin, three per cent fewer than in the previous year.

The highest house prices in the country in May were found in London's Kensington and Chelsea, where properties sold for an average of £1.25 million – 15 times the cost of a home in Burnley, where the average property cost just £86,000.