HOUSE prices increased by 2.9% - more than the average for the South West - in South Gloucestershire in September, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 16.2% over the last year.

The average South Gloucestershire house price in September was £364,272, Land Registry figures show – a 2.9% increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South West, where prices increased 0.3%, and South Gloucestershire was above the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in South Gloucestershire rose by £51,000 – putting the area 20th among the South West’s 29 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in South Hams, where property prices increased on average by 23.5%, to £430,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in South Somerset gained 11.9% in value, giving an average price of £292,000.

An imbalance between supply and demand for properties saw house prices climb across the UK throughout the pandemic.

But typical property values stalled across the UK between August and September, which caused annual growth to slow.

First-time buyers in South Gloucestershire spent an average of £307,000 on their property – £42,000 more than a year

ago, and £74,000 more than in September 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £410,000 on average in September – 33.4% more than first-time buyers.

Owners of semi-detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in South Gloucestershire in September – they increased 3.2%, to £391,836 on average.

Buyers paid 8.2% more than the average price in the South West (£337,000) in September for a property in South Gloucestershire.

Across the South West, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £295,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £514,000 on average, and 1.4 times as much as more than in South Gloucestershire. Cotswold properties cost 2.3 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£226,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

Average property prices in September

South Gloucestershire: £364,272

The South West: £336,583

UK: £294,559