House prices increased by 1.4 per cent in Swindon in March, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 12.2 per cent over the last year – the highest in the South West.

The average Swindon house price in March was £279,216, Land Registry figures show – a 1.4 per cent increase on February.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the South West, where prices decreased 0.6 per cent, and Swindon was above the 1.2 per cent drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Swindon rose by £30,000 – putting the area top among the South West’s 26 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Bath and North East Somerset gained 1.1 per cent in value, giving an average price of £421,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Swindon spent an average of £238,000 on their property – £25,000 more than a year ago, and £52,000 more than in March 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £324,000 on average in March – 36.1 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Swindon in March – they increased 2.3 per cent, to £501,927 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 13.5%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 1.5 per cent monthly; up 12.3 per cent annually; £310,184 average

Terraced: up 0.6 per cent monthly; up 11.3 per cent annually; £240,979 average

Flats: up 1.6 per cent monthly; up 11.3 per cent annually; £164,608 average

How do property prices in Swindon compare?

Buyers paid 14.4 per cent less than the average price in the South West (£326,000) in March for a property in Swindon. Across the South West, property prices are lower than those across the UK, where the average cost £285,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £511,000 on average, and 1.8 times as much as more than in Swindon. Cotswold properties cost 2.4 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£217,000 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 March

Swindon: £279,216

The South West: £326,035

UK: £285,009

Annual growth to March

Swindon: +12.2 per cent

The South West: +5.4 per cent

UK: +4.1 per cent

Highest and lowest annual growth in the South West

Swindon: +12.2 per cent

Bath and North East Somerset: +1.1 per cent