The North East and South East of England are continuing to see annual house price inflation growth, bucking a national slowdown in the market, new figures show.

Government statistics found that although the North East recorded growth of 11% and the South East saw a 7% rise in September, the rest of the country experienced a fall or dip in prices.

The results from the Department of Communities and Local Government also show house prices have stalled, with the average cost of a home in the UK now standing at £220,111.

Of all 12 of the UK's economic regions, Northern Ireland continued to see the strongest rate of annual inflation growth at 42.7%, although rates did fall for the third month in a row, the department said.

Scotland also saw figures drop from 12.5% to 13.1%.

Meanwhile London, which is usually the market leader, saw annual house price inflation ease from 17.2% to 16.5%.

The figures, which are based on mortgage completions throughout the month rather than approvals, also show a fall in prices on some types of property, such as terraced houses.

These properties now cost homebuyers an average of 0.2% less than in August, although there was a 1.2% increase in prices paid for flats.

Similarly, the price of bungalows rose by 0.3% during the month, with the average cost of a detached house remaining largely unchanged with an increase of just 0.1%

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at Global Insight, said: "The data adds to the overall impression that housing market activity and prices are now losing significant momentum in the face of slowing activity, increased affordability pressures and tightening lending practices.

"We expect these factors to increasingly bite over the coming months, leading to further marked cooling in the housing sector."

The figures also reveal that first-time buyers are paying 11.8% more to get on to the property ladder than they were in September last year, and handing over an average of £167,503 for their first home.

Meanwhile homeowners trading up the ladder are paying around £245,920, 10.5% more than they were 12 months ago.

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