Prices rises high

HOUSE price rises in Yorkshire remain some of country's highest at an average 18.8%.

This comes despite a drop of 0.7% in December - the largest monthly fall since February last year - say Government figures.

Other high rates came in the North-East (20.5%) and the North-West (17.8%).

Price rises in these regions remain substantially higher than in the rest of England.

But rates in the West Midlands, the East Midlands and the South-West also remain above 10%.

Rises in London fell from 7% to 3%, due to a fall in prices between November and December last year compared with a rise over the same period of 2003.

The market is cooling quickest in areas where affordability is most stretched.

All the home countries saw a fall in house price rises in December, except Northern Ireland, which saw a rise from 13.5% in November to 16%.

Rises in England fell from 13% to 10.1%, in Wales from 24.1% to 20.8% and in Scotland from 19.5% to 13.6%.