House prices dropped by 4.4 per cent – more than the average for the South East – in Bracknell Forest in April, new figures show.

The drop contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area suffer a 0.9 per cent annual decline.

The average Bracknell Forest house price in April was £329,951, Land Registry figures show – a 4.4 per cent decrease on March.

Over the month, the picture was worse than that across the South East, where prices decreased 2.3 per cent, and Bracknell Forest underperformed compared to the 1.9 per cent drop for the UK as a whole.

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Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bracknell Forest remained level – putting the area 67th among the South East’s 70 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in Hastings, where property prices increased on average by 14.6 per cent, to £245,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in West Oxfordshire lost 3.2% of their value, giving an average price of £319,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of detached houses fared worst in Bracknell Forest in April – they dropped 4.6 per cent in price, to £609,668 on average. Over the last year, prices dropped by 0.6 per cent.

Among other types of property:

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Semi-detached: down 4.4 per cent monthly; down 0.5 per cent annually; £365,764 averageTerraced: down 4.4 per cent monthly; down 0.1 per cent annually; £284,276 average Flats: down 4.4 per cent monthly; down 2.7 per cent annually; £198,092 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Bracknell Forest spent an average of £268,300 on their property – £2,900 less than a year ago, and £9,500 less than in April 2016.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £385,300 on average in April – 43.6 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Bracknell Forest compare?

Buyers paid 3.3 per cent less than the average price in the South East (£341,000) in April for a property in Bracknell Forest. Across the South East, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £251,000.

The most expensive properties in the South East were in Elmbridge – £648,000 on average, and twice as much as in Bracknell Forest. Elmbridge properties cost three times as much as homes in Southampton (£218,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average April sale price of £1.1 million could buy 11 properties in East Ayrshire (average £105,000).

Factfile

Average property price in April

Bracknell Forest: £329,951The South East: £341,358UK: £250,772

Annual change to April

Bracknell Forest: -0.9 per cent The South East: +5 per cent UK: +8.9 per cent

Best and worst annual growth in the South East

Hastings: +14.6 per cent West Oxfordshire: -3.2 per cent