House prices increased by 3.2 per cent in Barrow in July, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 16.1 per cent annual growth.

The average Barrow house price in July was £142,532, Land Registry figures show – a 3.2 per cent increase on June.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the North West, where prices decreased 7.6 per cent, and Barrow outperformed the 3.7 per cent drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Barrow rose by £20,000 – putting the area fifth among the North West’s 43 local authorities for annual growth.

Owners of semi-detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Barrow in July – they increased 3.4 per cent, to £172,616 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 15.3 per cent.

Buyers paid 23 per cent less than the average price in the North West (£185,000) in July for a property in Barrow. Across the North West, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £256,000.

The most expensive properties in the North West were in Trafford – £324,000 on average, and 2.3 times as much as in Barrow.