House prices increased slightly, by 0.8 per cent, across the Cumberland Council area in May, new figures show.

The rise contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 3.7 per cent over the last year.

The average Cumberland Council area house price in May was £164,756. Land Registry figures show a 0.8 per cent increase on April.

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Over the month, the picture was similar to that across the North West, where prices increased 0.9 per cent, and the Cumberland Council area was lower than the 1.2 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

First-time buyers in the Cumberland Council area spent an average of £140,700 on their property – £5,200 more than a year ago, and £24,200 more than in May 2019.