HOUSE prices in Colchester dropped more than the average for the East of England in April, new figures show.

Land Registry figures show the average Colchester house price in April was £317,519 - a 1.7 per cent decrease on March.

Over the month, the picture was different from across the East of England, where prices decreased 0.4 per cent, and Colchester was lower than the 0.5 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by five per cent over the last year.

Over the last year, the average sale price of a property in Colchester rose by £15,000 – putting the area 18th among the East of England’s 45 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

Meanwhile, buyers paid 9.7 per cent less than the average price in the East of England (£351,000) in April for a property in Colchester.

Across the East of England, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost is £286,000.

Additional statistics also show first-time buyers in Colchester spent an average of £266,000 on their property – £12,000 more than a year ago, and £41,000 more than in April 2018.