London house prices rose almost £500 a day in January

Annual house price growth in the south-east, London and the east of England is running at 11.7%, 10.8% and 9.8% respectively. By contrast, prices fell in Wales over the same period - by 0.3% - and notched up rises of just 0.1% in Scotland, 0.8% in Northern Ireland and 0.9% in north-east England. The strong price growth in the south-east may reflect the fact that growing numbers of homeowners in the capital are cashing in on London's turbo-charged performance and buying properties in commuter belt towns and cities.