Towns and cities in northern France are seeing a boom in property prices, according to new data on housing costs. Although Paris remains the most expensive place to buy property in France, several places in northern France are reporting a big jump in property prices, according to a report from real state agency LPI and property sales site Se Loger.

The data compares the price per square metre of apartments in June 2019, compared to June 2018. The Normandy port of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin reported the highest rise at 11.6%. And a cluster of towns in the northeast, sandwiched between Lille and the Belgian border, dominate the rankings, with Roubaix showing an 11.5% rise in prices in a year, Villeneuve-d'Ascq showing 11.1% and Tourcoing showing 10.8% growth.

The towns are all close to the Belgian border and within easy commuting distance of Lille, which is itself enjoying something of a renaissance with rapid economic growth after years of stagnation.

Elsewhere the town with the third highest growth in apartment prices is also in northern France - Brittany capital Rennes showed 11.2% growth while neighbouring Brest recorded 10.6% growth.