House prices increased by 0.2 per cent in Cumbria in February, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 10 per cent annual growth.

The average Cumbria house price in February was £171,282, Land Registry figures show – a 0.2 per cent increase on January.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the North West, where prices increased 1.3 per cent, and Cumbria outperformed the UK as a whole, where prices did not change.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Cumbria rose by £16,000 – putting the area 24th among the North West’s 43 local authorities for annual growth. The best annual growth in the region was in Wirral, where property prices increased on average by 22.3 per cent.