House prices dropped slightly, by 0.1%, in Dorset in March, new figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area grow by 5.4% over the last year.

The average Dorset house price in March was £365,497, Land Registry figures show – a 0.1% decrease on February.

Over the month, the picture was similar to that across the South West, where prices decreased 0.6%, and Dorset was above the 1.2% drop for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Dorset rose by £19,000 – putting the area 17th among the South West’s 26 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in Swindon, where property prices increased on average by 12.2%, to £279,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Bath and North East Somerset gained 1.1% in value, giving an average price of £421,000.

First steps on the property ladder First-time buyers in Dorset spent an average of £284,000 on their property – £14,000 more than a year ago, and £57,000 more than in March 2018.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £411,000 on average in March – 44.9% more than first-time buyers.

Property types Owners of terraced houses saw the biggest fall in property prices Dorset in March – they dropped 0.7% in price, to £283,966 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 5.4%.

Among other types of property: Detached: up 0.3% monthly; up 5.7% annually; £548,057 average Semi-detached: down 0.1% monthly; up 6% annually; £358,457 average Flats: down 0.2% monthly; up 4% annually; £193,516 average How do property prices in Dorset compare?

Buyers paid 12.1% more than the average price in the South West (£326,000) in March for a property in Dorset. Across the South West, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £285,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in Cotswold – £511,000 on average, and 1.4 times as much as more than in Dorset. Cotswold properties cost 2.4 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£217,000 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 March Dorset: £365,497 The South West: £326,035 UK: £285,009 Annual growth to March Dorset: +5.4% The South West: +5.4% UK: +4.1% Highest and lowest annual growth in the South West Swindon: +12.2% Bath and North East Somerset: +1.1%