HOUSE prices dropped by 2.1 per cent in Halton in June, the latest figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 1.1 per cent over the last year.

The average Halton house price in June was £182,025, Land Registry figures show – a 2.1 per cent decrease on May.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices increased 1.2 per cent, and Halton was lower than the 0.7 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Halton rose by £2,000 – putting the area 31st among the north west’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Rossendale in Lancashire, where property prices increased on average by 9.2 per cent, to £201,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Hyndburn in Lancashire lost 3.7 per cent of their value, giving an average price of £118,000.

First-time buyers in Halton spent an average of £152,200 on their property – £1,300 more than a year ago, and £38,200 more than in June 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £212,700 on average in June – 39.8 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest fall in property prices in Halton in June – they dropped 2.3 per cent in price, to £312,448 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 2.2 per cent.

Semi-detached homes were down 2.1 per cent monthly, but up 1.4 per cent annually to an average price of £183,387.

For terraced house, prices were down 1.9 per cent monthly and 0.2 per cent annually to £132,054 on average.

Moreover, flats are down 2.1 per cent monthly but up 2.1 per cent annually to £91,920 on average.

Buyers paid 15.6 per cent less than the average price in the north west (£216,000) in June for a property in Halton.

Across the north west, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £288,000.

The most expensive properties in the north west were in Trafford – £362,000 on average, and twice the price as in Halton.

Trafford properties cost 3.1 times the price as homes in Burnley (£117,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, with an average price of £1.3million.