House prices in Bradford have risen by just 23 per cent in the last ten years - making property in the city among the cheapest in Britain, according to figures released today.

The average house price in the city is £58,268 - placing Bradford fifth from bottom in a table of 54 towns and cities across Yorkshire.

The Halifax Group, which carried out the study, said Bradford's poor performance in the league tables was likely to have been affected by last year's riots.

But the study also reveals a huge variation across the district, with Ilkley confirmed as the most expensive town in Yorkshire.

The average property price in the town is an astonishing £174,756 - 64 per cent up on the figure 10 years ago.

And the neighbouring Wharfe Valley town of Otley has seen the average property more than double in price during the same period - the second biggest rise anywhere in Yorkshire.

Today The Halifax's group economist Martin Ellis predicted a brighter future for Bradford as regeneration projects kick in.

"The riots were certainly something which will have contributed to the fact that Bradford has not done as well as other places, and it will inevitably take time for the city to get over that," he said.

"However, we know there are efforts to redevelop the city centre and we are sure they will help to improve things."

The inner city areas may also benefit from the "ripple effect" of rising house prices in the surrounding areas.

Bingley remains the 14th most expensive town in which to buy property in Yorkshire and Shipley has risen in the table from its position ten years ago.

Skipton and Pudsey both saw prices rise by more than 50 per cent, and in Keighley the rise was 36 per cent.

Mr Ellis predicted the rises in Yorkshire, which have followed a national trend, would continue over the next 12 months, even if at a slower rate.

But it is the performance of the Wharfe Valley towns which really stands out.

Mr Ellis said the area was benefiting from the emergence of Leeds as a leading financial centre and commuters were increasingly looking to rural towns in which to set up home.

He added that the continued lack of properties available in the areas surrounding Leeds could soon benefit prices in Bradford itself.

"There could be an increase in prices even at the low end of the market, including parts of Bradford, because there is simply nothing coming on the market in the high-demand areas," he said.

The survey, the most comprehensive of its kind ever undertaken, was based on material gathered from The Halifax's offices.