House prices in Northern Ireland have soared by 139 per cent in the past decade, according to Halifax Britain's biggest mortgage lender.
In its latest report on the British housing market published today Halifax said that the average price of a house has risen by 75 per cent in the past ten years.
Halifax said the north-south divide in Britain also became more marked during the 10 ten years to the end of 2001, with prices rising by "significantly more" in Greater London, the South East, South West and East Anglia, than in the northern regions of England, Scotland and Wales.
Thames Ditton in Surrey recorded the biggest leap in prices for a town, with average values shooting up by 206 per cent, followed by Teddington in Greater London, where prices have risen by 194 per cent on average.
At the other end of the scale the cost of a house has dropped by an average of 6 per cent in Ardrossan, Scotland, during the decade, while in Irvine, also in Scotland, they have fallen by 4 per cent.
According to Halifax Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire is the most expensive place to live in Britain, with the average property costing £378,000, followed by Esher, Surrey, where prices are around £376,000.
PA