Property price increases across the Midlands are outstripping the rest of the country according to Rightmove’s house price index.

As of March 2016 the East Midlands saw prices rise by 2.1% and 5.7% on a monthly and annual basis, while the West Midlands prices climbed by 2.1% month-on-month and 4.2% annually.

For the whole of the UK the price of property coming to market increased by 1.3% in March and 2.3% year-on-year, down from annual growth of 7.6% in March 2016.

Miles Shipside, Rightmove director and housing market analyst, said: “Since the start of the decade, the average March price rise has been 0.9%, so this month’s 1.3% uplift is an indicator of a shortage of suitable property for sale in many parts of the country, with strong demand for the right property at the right price.

“Since 2007 we’ve only once seen a larger rise than this in March, and we are also keeping pace with last year’s rise, which had the added momentum of investors looking to beat the Stamp Duty tax deadline of April 1.”