House prices dropped by 0.3 per cent across the Cumberland Council area in August, new figures show.

The drop maintains the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area remain level.

The average Cumberland house price in August was £167,875, Land Registry figures show – a 0.3 per cent decrease on July.

Over the month, the picture was similar to that across the North West, where prices remained static, and Cumberland was lower than the 0.3 per cent  rise for the UK as a whole.

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Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Cumberland fell by £73 – putting the area 23rd among the North West’s 35 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

First-time buyers in Cumberland spent an average of £142,560 on their property – £560 less than a year ago, but £22,130 more than in July 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £193,140 on average in August – 35.5% more than first-time buyers.