Southend house prices rise at fastest rate The Essex seaside town of Southend has topped the regional ranking of top house price risers for the year, according to the latest data from mortgage lender Halifax, adding to growing evidence of a north-south divide in UK house price trends. The average selling price of Southend properties rose 14.8 per cent in the year to the end of November, closely followed by a 14.7 per cent increase for homes in Basingstoke in Hampshire, Halifax said. The data reflect strong house price increases across the London commuter belt, which also benefited Rochester (up 13.3 per cent), St Albans (up 13 per cent), Dartford (up 13 per cent) and Gillingham (up 12.4 per cent). That contrasts with steep falls for Craigavon in Northern Ireland (down 18.4 per cent) and several locations in Scotland, notably Wishaw, south-east of Glasgow, which fell 12.5 per cent. Properties in Chorley, Carlisle and Wirral - all in the north of England - were down by an average of more than 9 per cent. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group, said the average UK house price was static at £160,879. "Nationally, conditions in the housing market have been largely unchanged over the past 12 months," said Martin Ellis, housing economist at Halifax, adding that this concealed an expanding north-south divide that was likely to grow further in 2013. "House prices are expected to be strongest in London and the south-east, as this part of the country performs best in economic terms," Mr Ellis said.