IT’S GRIN UP NORTH

The North of England trumped the South when it came to rising house prices last year.

Figures from the Nationwide Building Society show it powered ahead by 3.6% in 2017, more than double the 1.6% growth further down the country.

It is the first time this has happened since 2008. The West Midlands was the strongest region, with average property prices up 5.2%. London was the weakest, with values down 0.5%.

But the typical home in the capital, valued at nearly £471,000, is worth more than double the national average. It would take a typical firsttime buyer a decade to save a deposit for an average home in London.

The Nationwide predicts house price growth across the UK will slow to just 1% during 2018, down sharply from 2.6% last year and 4.5% in 2016.