Surprise as prices boom in Keighley

Rightmove has unleashed some big surprises this weekend by publishing its top 10 asking price hotspots outside London.

Paisley appears at number one with an increase of 15 per cent over the past year. The historic Scottish town, which borders Glasgow to the east, now has an average house price of £126,903, which is £16,183 more expensive than a year ago.

Local agents report that access to nature and green spaces – both of which have become more important to home-movers since lockdown – may have contributed to the increase.

Next come Lancaster and Wigan, which have both seen average asking prices rise by 12 per cent over the last 12 months.

Keighley has popped up at number five in the top ten table of UK places with the highest house price increases, along with the popular Leeds suburb of Pudsey.

Both had an 11 per cent rise in values with Keighley seeing average property asking prices go from £175,766 to £195,175. Pudsey saw average prices leap from £203,289 to £225,530.

The 11 per cent gain is way over the Yorkshire average, which ranges from three to seven per cent depending on which indices you use.

Many of the areas in the top 10 are not classed as ultra desirable and Keighley is in that bracket. Yet it has many appealing features. A railway station with trains to Leeds, Bradford and Skipton, easy access to the Brontë moors and the Dales and housing that can still be classed as affordable.