Recent research has shown that Northern regions of the UK have experienced the strongest growth in the past decade. The North and North West of the UK has shown strong growth of 120% and 112% respectively during the period – whilst in Wales house prices increased 122% to an average of £137,316.

The average cost of a home in Scotland rose by 94% – but in Northern Ireland house prices ended the decade 99% higher than they started it.

The cost of the average home in the 10 best-performing towns rose by at least 160% between the end of 1999 and the end of 2009.

Across all regions of the UK, house prices rose by an average of 105% during the 10 years, the biggest increase in real terms seen during any decade in the past 50 years.

Despite property losing a fifth of its value between mid-2007 and mid-2009, the average house price still rose from £81,596 during the final quarter of 1999 to £167,020 in the three months to the end of December 2009.

Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, said: “The majority of towns that experienced the strongest price growth began the decade with lower than average property prices, which provided the platform for bigger price gains.”