House prices in Pembrokeshire increased by 1.5 per cent in January – more than the average for Wales – new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 17.9 per cent annual growth.

The average Pembrokeshire house price in January was £234,796, according to Land Registry figures – a 1.5 per cent increase on December.

Over the month, the picture was similar to that across Wales, where prices increased 1.3 per cent, and Pembrokeshire outperformed the 0.4 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Pembrokeshire rose by £36,000 – putting the area fourth among Wales’s 22 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The best annual growth in Wales was in the Vale of Glamorgan, where property prices increased on average by 20.8 per cent, to £297,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Flintshire gained just 7.2 per cent in value, giving an average price of £199,000.

Winners and losers

Owners of flats saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Pembrokeshire in January – they increased 1.7 per cent, to £115,837 on average.

Over the last year, prices rose by 12.5 per cent.

Other types of property....

Detached: up 1.3 per cent monthly; up 19.2 per cent  annually; £329,890 average

Semi-detached: up 1.6 per cent monthly; up 18.6 per cent annually; £207,348 average

Terraced: up 1.6 per cent monthly; up 16.3 per cent annually; £173,635 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Pembrokeshire spent an average of £210,000 on their property – £31,000 more than a year ago, and £63,000 more than in January 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £262,000 on average in January – 24.4 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Pembrokeshire compare?

Buyers paid 13.8 per cent more than the average price in Wales (£206,000) in January for a property in Pembrokeshire.

Across Wales, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £274,000.

The most expensive properties in Wales were in Monmouthshire – £328,000 on average, and 1.4 times as much as more than in Pembrokeshire.

Monmouthshire properties cost 2.7 times as much as homes in Blaenau Gwent (£121,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

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