HOUSE prices dropped by 1.3 per cent – more than the average for the North West – in St Helens in January, new figures show.

The drop contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area suffer a 4.6% annual decline.

The average St Helens house price in January was £175,372, Land Registry figures show – a 1.3% decrease on December.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across the North West, where prices decreased 0.6%, and St Helens was lower than the 0.5% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in St Helens fell by £8,500 – putting the area 32nd among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in West Lancashire, where property prices increased on average by 8%, to £240,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Burnley lost 12.1% of their value, giving an average price of £101,000.

First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in St Helens spent an average of £157,300 on their property – £7,900 less than a year ago, but £41,700 more than in January 2019.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £196,700 on average in January – 25% more than first-time buyers.

Property types

Owners of flats saw the biggest fall in property prices in St Helens in January – they dropped 1.7% in price, to £99,065 on average. Over the last year, prices dropped by 6.7%.

Among other types of property: Detached: down 0.7% monthly; down 2.1% annually; £291,919 average Semi-detached: down 1.3% monthly; down 4.2% annually; £182,448 average Terraced: down 1.6% monthly; down 5.9% annually; £135,744 average

How do property prices in St Helens compare?

Buyers paid 18.5% less than the average price in the North West (£215,000) in January for a property in St Helens.

Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £282,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £352,000 on average, and twice the price as in St Helens.

Trafford properties cost 3.5 times the price as homes in Burnley (£101,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, at £1.2 million.

Factfile

Average property price in January St Helens: £175,372

The North West: £215,082

UK: £281,913

Annual change to January

St Helens: -4.6%

The North West: +1%

UK: -0.6%

Highest and lowest annual growth in the North West

West Lancashire: +8%

Burnley: -12.1%