The price of the average house in the UK topped £200,000 for the first time in December, official figures showed today.

The average UK property came with a £201,090 price tag in the run up to Christmas - an annual increase of 9.9%, the Department of Communities and Local Government said today. Prices rose by 9.1% in the three months leading up to December, and by 10.7% in the capital.

House prices were highest in England, at £208,525, and lowest in Scotland at £147,687. Inflation roared ahead in Northern Ireland where prices rose by almost 40% over 2006, ending the year with an average cost of £191,505.