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

​The ​boost ​contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area ​achieve 2.2 per cent annual growth​.

The average Bolton house price in July was £141,507, Land Registry figures show​ – a 1.2 per cent increase on June.

Over the month, the picture was ​similar to that across the north west, where prices ​increased one per cent​, and Bolton outperformed the 0.5 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bolton ​​rose by £3,000 – putting the ​area 22nd among the North West’s 39 local authorities for annual growth.

​The best annual growth in the region was in Burnley, where properties increased on average by 8.4%, to £91,000. ​At the other end of the scale, properties in Eden dropped 4.1 per cent in value, giving an average price of £197,000.

Winners and losers

Owners of flats saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Bolton in July – they increased 1.5 per cent, to £91,274 on average– but over the last year, prices dropped by 0.5 per cent.

Among other types of property:

Detached: up one per cent monthly; up 2.6 per cent annually; £249,563 average

Semi-detached: up 1.4 per cent monthly; up 2.9 per cent annually; £151,346 average

Terraced: up one per cent monthly; up 1.8 per cent annually; £111,995 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Bolton spent an average of £​118,500 on their property – ​£2,300 more than a year ago, ​and ​£20,100 more than in July 2015.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £​156,600 on average in July​ – 32.1 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Bolton compare?

Buyers paid 17.7 per cent less than the average price in the north west (£172,000) in July for a property in Bolton.

Across the north west, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £238,000.

The most expensive properties in the north west were in Trafford – £303,000 on average, and 2.1 times as much as in Bolton. Trafford properties cost 3.3 times as much as homes in Burnley (£91,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average July sale price of £1.2 million could buy 14 properties in Burnley (average £91,000).

Average property price in July:

Bolton: £141,507

The north west: £171,956

UK: £237,963

Annual growth to July

Bolton: +2.2 per cent

The north west: +3.5 per cent

UK: +2.3 per cent

Best and worst annual growth in the north west

Burnley: +8.4 per cent

Eden: -4.1 per cent