New figures reveal that North Manor was the most expensive area of Bury to buy a house in last year.

Property firm Zoopla has said the data highlights how localised the housing market is across England and Wales and how prices often reflect the housing stock available in an area.

Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that out of the 17 council wards in Bury, North Manor has the highest media house price in 2021, of £295,000.

The next highest were Pilkington Park at £272,500 and St Mary’s at £267,500.

In contrast the cheapest areas to buy a house were Bury East at £126,000, Moorside at 149,000 and Radcliffe West at £160,000.

The number of houses sold in Bury rose from 2020 to 2021 from 2,176 to 2,711.

Of those sales, nine per cent were in Ramsbottom which was the busiest area for buyers whilst Bury East took the title of the least number of properties sold, making it the quietest as well as the cheapest.

The Centre for Economics and Business Research said that following a period of significant growth during the pandemic, it expects house prices to experience downward pressure over the next year, as a result of sharp rises in mortgage rates.

Karl Thompson, an economist at the think tank, said the strongest price contractions are expected outside of London and the Southeast, causing greater regional price disparities.

Grainne Gilmore, head of research at Zoopla, said property values vary widely in large part because of the differing housing stock between areas.

Some neighbourhoods will have a higher number of five-bedroom detached homes, while others will be home to more flats and smaller properties.

But she said the difference between more and less expensive areas may start to narrow.

She added: "The demand for larger detached homes during the pandemic has pushed average values for houses higher over the last year, while price growth for flats has lagged.

"But there are signs that demand for flats in city centres is gaining momentum, so we could see faster rising prices in this part of the market."

The ONS figures also reveal the trendiest areas in Bury.

Of the 16 wards with at least 100 properties sold, Tottington saw 84 per cent more properties sold in 2021 than in 2020, followed by Elton (56 per cent) and Radcliffe North (47 per cent).