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Living by coast reveals north south divide in British seaside towns

Xinhua, May 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Prices of properties by the seaside in Britain varied depending on its location, a report published Monday showed.

Most of the most expensive houses for beach lovers are along England's south coast.

All but one of the 10 cheapest seaside towns are across the border in Scotland.

House prices are revealed in a Seaside Town Review by one of Britain's leading mortgage lender, the Halifax.

Their report shows Sandbanks in Dorset, is the most expensive seaside town in Britain, with an average house price of 665,000 pounds (971,560 U.S.dollars).

Next is Salcombe in Devon where a seaside home costs an average 539,950 pounds.

The southwest coast, known as the English Riviera, accounted for eight of the top 10 most expensive seaside towns in the property-price league table.

Head north to Port Bannatyne on the Scottish Isle of Bute and the average property price is just 77,132 pounds, around just one eighth of a house in Dorset, 782 kilometers away in southern England. House prices there, on average, are the cheapest in almost 200 seaside towns.

The Halifax calculated prices by studying official house price figures from land registers covering seaside towns across Britain.

Halifax housing economist Martin Ellis said:" Seaside towns are highly popular places to live, offering sought-after scenery, weather and lifestyle which no doubt come at a price. They also attract those looking for holiday properties, which add upward pressure on house prices."

"Our research shows property prices in seaside towns have increased by an average of 440 pounds per month since 2006. If you're looking for a bargain, it's still easier to find the further north you go, where the average price in several areas is still below 100,000 pounds."

All of the bottom 10 cheapest areas, nine in Scotland and one in Northumberland, all cost on average less than 100,000 pounds. Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland, with average prices of 81,259 pounds was the only English seaside town to make the bottom 10.

The average property price in British seaside towns has increased by 32 percent from 243,000 U.S. dollars in 2006 to 320,100 U.S.dollars in 2016, according to the Halifax. Enditem