HOUSE prices increased more than average for the north west in Bolton in September, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve a 7.2 per cent annual growth.

The average Bolton house price in September was £148,247, Land Registry figures show – a 2.5 per cent increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the North West, where prices increased 1.2 per cent, and Bolton outperformed the 1.7 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bolton rose by £9,900 – putting the area third among the North West’s 39 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Lancaster, where properties increased on average by 7.7 per cent, to £170,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Hyndburn dropped 3.4 per cent in value, giving an average price of £96,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Bolton in September – they increased 3.2 per cent, to £263,820 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 8.6 per cent.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 2.3 per cent monthly; up 7.9 per cent annually; £158,156 average

Terraced: up 2.4 per cent monthly; up 6.5 per cent annually; £117,245 average

Flats: up 2.4 per cent monthly; up 3.9 per cent annually; £94,899 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Bolton spent an average of £​123,800 on their property – ​£7,900 more than a year ago, ​and ​£24,900 more than in Sep-15.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £​164,400 on average in September​ – 32.8 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Bolton compare?

Buyers paid 16.2 per cent less than the average price in the north west (£177,000) in September for a property in Bolton. Across the north west, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £245,000.

The most expensive properties in the north west were in Trafford – £307,000 on average, and 2.1 times as much as in Bolton. Trafford properties cost 3.5 times as much as homes in Burnley (£88,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average September sale price of £1.3m could buy 15 properties in Burnley (average £88,000).