HOUSE prices increased by 3.3% in Wirral in July, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 4.5% over the last year.

The average Wirral house price in July was £215,598. Land Registry figures show a 3.3% increase on June.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices remained static, and Wirral was above the 0.6% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Wirral rose by £9,200 – putting the area 13th among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in St Helens, where property prices increased on average by 8.1%, to £191,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Pendle lost 5.3% of their value, giving an average price of £125,000.

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Wirral spent an average of £181,900 on their property – £8,000 more than a year ago, and £46,600 more than in July 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £247,300 on average in July – 35.9% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest rise in property prices in Wirral in July – they increased 3.4%, to £362,663 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 4.2%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 3.2% monthly; up 4.7% annually; £242,792 average

Terraced: up 3.3% monthly; up 4.8% annually; £166,357 average

Flats: up 3.3% monthly; up 3.3% annually; £126,260 average

How do property prices in Wirral compare?

Buyers paid 2% less than the average price in the North West (£220,000) in July for a property in Wirral. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £290,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £379,000 on average, and 1.8 times the price as in Wirral. Trafford properties cost 3.4 times the price as homes in Burnley (£111,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Average property price in July

Wirral: £215,598

The North West: £219,887

UK: £289,723

Annual growth to July

Wirral: +4.5%

The North West: +2.8%

UK: +2.2%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

St Helens: +8.1%

Pendle: -5.3%