FIRST-time buyers will have to spend over a quarter-of-a-million pounds to get on the property ladder in a sought-after part of south Cumbria, a survey has found.

According to property website Zoopla, the average price of a property in Grange now stands at £273,965.

This comes after the area saw house prices rise by more than 10 percent in the past year.

Grange represents the only northern town in this year's top 10 list of the country's seaside property hot spots.

Predictably the bulk of the top 10 features towns in the south and south east of the UK.

The Kent town of Margate topped the list, as over the past year it has seen house prices rise by 12 percent, with the average house costing £202,276.

While properties on the south east coast of the country have seen their prices rise, the opposite can be said for homes on the south west coast.

Once-popular towns in Devon and Cornwall such as Ilfracombe and Perranporth have seen average house prices fall by as much as two per cent.

Many of the top 10 seaside towns have seen their average house prices rise about the national average of eight per cent.

David Corrie, managing director of Corrie and Co estate agents, said: "It's down to a combination of factors. There are new-build schemes in Grange, and that the town acts as a dormitory town for the Furness area, particularly now with new projects coming from BAE and Glaxo Smith Kline."

The upturn in house prices means new buyers face an uphill battle to get on the property ladder.

Mr Corrie said: "I think the challenge in Grange is found anywhere in the Lake District faces. It's similar to Ulverston, people who grew up there are moving to Dalton, Askam or Barrow."

Ultimately, the desirable nature of the town is a double edged sword, increasing the value of the homes of current owners, but pricing some out of the market entirely.

"The quality of life in the area means that the prices are higher," Mr Corrie added.

See the top 10 seaside towns in the country

Read about the soaring Cumbrian house prices