HOUSE prices increased by 1.3 per cent in Bolton in December, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 7.8 per cent annual growth.

The average Bolton house price in December was £152,282, Land Registry figures show – a 1.3 per cent increase on November.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the North West, where prices increased 2.5 per cent, but Bolton outperformed the 1.2 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bolton rose by £11,000 – putting the area 23rd among the north west’s 43 local authorities for annual growth.

Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Bolton in December – they increased 1.4 per cent, to £120,572 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 7.7 per cent.

First-time buyers in Bolton spent an average of £127,100 on their property – £8,800 more than a year ago, and £28,200 more than in November 2015.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £169,100 on average in December – 33 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 17.1 per cent less than the average price in the north west (£184,000) in December for a property in Bolton.

The most expensive properties in the north west were in Trafford – £329,000 on average, and 2.2 times as much as in Bolton.

Trafford properties cost 3.4 times as much as homes in Burnley (£98,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average December sale price of £1.3m could buy 13 properties in Burnley (average £98,000).