House prices dropped by 1.7 per cent in Northumberland in September, new figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 10.3 per cent annual growth.

The average Northumberland house price in September was £179,061, Land Registry figures show – a 1.7 per cent decrease on August.

Over the month, the picture was worse than that across the North East, where prices increased 3.8 per cent, and Northumberland underperformed compared to the 2.5 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Northumberland rose by £17,000 – putting the area eighth among the North East’s 13 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Middlesbrough, where property prices increased on average by 17.1 per cent, to £132,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Gateshead gained 2.1 per cent in value, giving an average price of £140,000.

Owners of flats fared worst in Northumberland in September – they dropped 2.4 per cent in price, to £92,388 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 5.9 per cent.

First-time buyers in Northumberland spent an average of £145,000 on their property – £13,000 more than a year ago, and £20,000 more than in September 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £206,000 on average in September – 42.2 per cent more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 17.2 per cent more than the average price in the North East (£153,000) in September for a property in Northumberland.

Across the North East, property prices are low compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £270,000.

The most expensive properties in the North East were in North Tyneside – £181,000 on average, and one per cent in Northumberland.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.