The average cost of a house in Essex is now nearly £103,000.

It has risen from £89,542 to £102,963 - a 14.99 per cent increase, according to figures out today.

The Land Registry report uses completed sales data to compare figures from October/December 1998 with the same period last year.

Average Essex prices for detached houses have risen from £140,396 to £158,932, while semis have gone up from £81,533 to £92,837.

Terraced homes have increased from £65,802 to £73,537 while flats and maisonettes have risen from £49,259 to £58,067.

The county's increase matches the average price rise nationwide, while London has led the boom with 23 per cent hike.

Suffolk has seen the figure for all property types increase to £82,122 from £71,311.

And over the county border into Norfolk estate agents are seeing homes exchange hands for around £72,180, compared with £63,184 the previous year.

Kent is now attracting prices a few pounds short of £100,000 - up about £9,000.

Graham Buxton, associate partner at Colchester-based estate agents Spicer McColl, said the housing market was "extremely buoyant" at the moment.

"I think for the rest of the year it will remain as it is with prices and the market going forward," he said.

"It is a strong seller's market with insufficient properties of all types to meet demand."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.