House prices increased by 2.8 per cent in Swindon in September, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 9.9 per cent annual growth.

The average Swindon house price in September was £241,574, Land Registry figures show – a 2.8 per cent increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the South West, where prices increased 4 per cent, but Swindon outperformed the 2.5 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Swindon rose by £22,000 – putting the area 11th among the South West’s 32 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in West Devon, where property prices increased on average by 22.5 per cent, to £310,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in the Cotswolds lost 5.5 per cent of their value, giving an average price of £392,000.

Winners and losers

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Swindon in September – they increased 3.2 per cent, to £425,756 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 11.8 per cent.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 2.9 per cent monthly; up 10.6 per cent annually; £267,438 average

Terraced: up 2.5 per cent monthly; up 9.6 per cent annually; £210,029 average

Flats: up 2.4 per cent monthly; up 6.4 per cent annually; £146,772 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Swindon spent an average of £207,000 on their property – £18,000 more than a year ago, and £31,000 more than in September 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £279,000 on average in September – 35.1% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Swindon compare?

Buyers paid 19.8 per cent less than the average price in the South West (£301,000) in September for a property in Swindon. Across the South West, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £270,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in the Cotswolds – £392,000 on average, and 1.6 times as much as in Swindon. The Cotswolds properties cost twice as much as homes in Plymouth (£199,000 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 September

Swindon: £241,574

The South West: £301,327

UK: £269,945

Annual growth to September

Swindon: +9.9%

The South West: +11.7%

UK: +11.8%

Best and worst annual growth in the South West

West Devon: +22.5%

The Cotswolds: -5.5%