House prices increased slightly, by 0.2%, in Dorset in February, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 12.9% annual growth.

The average Dorset house price in February was £347,388, Land Registry figures show – a 0.2% increase on January.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the South West, where prices increased 1.2%, and Dorset underperformed compared to the 0.5% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Dorset rose by £40,000 – putting the area 11th among the South West’s 29 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in North Devon, where property prices increased on average by 24.1%, to £331,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Tewkesbury gained just 5.5% in value, giving an average price of £317,000.

Winners and Losers

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Dorset in February – they increased 0.3%, to £520,605 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 14.8%.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 0.1% monthly; up 13.4% annually; £337,401 average

Terraced: up 0% monthly; up 11.9% annually; £269,511 average

Flats: up 0.3% monthly; up 8.5% annually; £186,616 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Dorset spent an average of £270,000 on their property – £29,000 more than a year ago, and £54,000 more than in February 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £390,000 on average in February – 44.6% more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Dorset compare?

Buyers paid 11.1% more than the average price in the South West (£313,000) in February for a property in Dorset. Across the South West, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £277,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £451,000 on average, and 1.3 times as much as more than in Dorset. Cotswold properties cost 2.2 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£208,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Factfile

Average property price in February

Dorset: £347,388

The South West: £312,697

UK: £276,755

Annual growth to February

Dorset: +12.9%

The South West: +12.5%

UK: +10.9%

Best and worst annual growth in the South West

North Devon: +24.1%

Tewkesbury: +5.5%