House prices in the southeast of England and in London continue to power ahead, with prices in London rising by almost £500 a day in January, in sharp contrast to prices in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the average price of a house in the UK rose by nearly £4,000 on the month to £291,504. In London, the price rose by £15,000 to a record high £551,000.
On the year, house prices on the southeast of England rose by 11.7% and were up 10.8% in London. In contrast, house prices in Wales fell 0.3%, while the average price in Scotland edged 0.1% higher. Northern Ireland saw a 0.8% rise in the average price.
