House prices in Watford increased slightly in September as house-buyers shrugged off continued uncertainty in the economy.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 4.7 per cent annual growth.

The average Watford house price in September was £364,927, Land Registry figures show – a 0.6 per cent increase on August.

Over the month, the picture was less good than that across the East of England, where prices increased 2.6 per cent, and Watford underperformed compared to the 1.7 per cent rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in Watford rose by £17,000 – putting the area eighth among the East of England’s 47 local authorities for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in South Norfolk, where properties increased on average by 8.9 per cent, to £278,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in Broxbourne dropped 3.1 per cent in value, giving an average price of £348,000.

Owners of detached houses saw the biggest improvement in property prices in Watford in September – they increased 1.2 per cent, to £865,300 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 7.5 per cent.

Among other types of property:

Semi-detached: up 0.5 per cent monthly; up 6.7 per cent annually; £483,835 average

Terraced: up 0.4 per cent monthly; up 5.8 per cent annually; £385,086 average

Flats: up 0.7 per cent monthly; up 2.1 per cent annually; £267,842 average

First steps on the property ladder

First-time buyers in Watford spent an average of £​324,000 on their property – ​£13,000 more than a year ago, ​and ​£44,000 more than in Sep-15.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £​420,000 on average in September​ – 29.9 per cent more than first-time buyers.

How do property prices in Watford compare?

Buyers paid 19.3 per cent more than the average price in the East of England (£306,000) in September for a property in Watford. Across the East of England, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £245,000.

The most expensive properties in the East of England were in St Albans – £530,000 on average, and 1.5 times as much as in Watford. St Albans properties cost three times as much as homes in Great Yarmouth (£178,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea, where the average September sale price of £1.3 million could buy 15 properties in Burnley (average £88,000).