HOUSE prices dropped by 2.6 per cent in Bradford in February, new figures show.

The drop contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area suffer a 3.7 per cent annual decline.

The average Bradford house price in February was £167,229, Land Registry figures show – a 2.6 per cent decrease on January.

Over the month, the picture was different to that across Yorkshire and the Humber, where prices increased 0.9 per cent, and Bradford was lower than the 0.4 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Bradford fell by £6,500 – putting the area 14th among Yorkshire and the Humber's 15 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The highest annual growth in the region was in North East Lincolnshire, where property prices increased on average by 5.1 per cent, to £156,000.

At the other end of the scale, properties in Hull lost 5.5 per cent of their value, giving an average price of £131,000.

Figures show first-time buyers in Bradford spent an average of £149,400 on their property – £5,900 less than a year ago, but £30,700 more than in February 2019.