House prices in Cumbria have risen slightly over the past year with more people buying and selling, local estate agents say.

Across the UK, the average house price is now £219,000, an increase of 8.4 per cent in the 12 months to August, the Office for National Statistics revealed yesterday.

Although the increase in Cumbria does not match that, with the average price standing at £185,000 in Carlisle and north Cumbria, increased activity in the market is more important, agent David Hogarth said.

Mr Hogarth, a director of Cumbrian Properties, said the increase in national house prices was inflated, due to higher increases in the South of England

He added: "We are seeing a small increase in prices but more importantly increased activity, albeit with a lack of properties in the market.

"Price is still extremely important with purchasers keen to achieve good value in what is still a demanding market place in north Cumbria."

Cumberland Estate Agents is also affected by a lack new sellers. Managing director Graeme MacLeod said: "We continue to see steady growth on houses prices in Cumbria, fuelled by strong demand against reduced numbers of new instructions.

"A feature of the market over the past 18 months or so is that newly listed properties coming to market have been lower than in recent years, but buyer demand is strong.

"We have daily examples of properties selling in the first few days of marketing and often at or above the guide price. Buyer activity is buoyant on the back of low priced mortgages due to the consistently low interest rates."

In England, London continues to be the area with the highest average house price at £489,000, while the lowest average price continues to be in the North East at £127,000.

Mr MacLeod added: "Deposits still remain a struggle for many, but frequently loans and gifts of deposits from mum and dad ease the problem.

"There was a small wobble after the tax changes back in March which has made investor buys more difficult due to the increased second homes stamp duty.

"And then of course there was Brexit too, but neither of these two significant events have dampened sales rates and buyer enthusiasm. This contained buyer demand inevitably leads to the prices continuing to rise, good news for home owners."