South dominates Britain's seaside property hotspots

House prices in seaside towns have risen by a third in the past decade, with Salcombe taking the top spot.

Salcombe is the most expensive seaside town in Britain with property averaging £672,874, according to Halifax.

New research shows that house prices in seaside towns have shot up by a third in the past decade. That means an average price rise of £49,207 (£410 a month) from £159,522 to £208,729.

North-south divide

As you’d expect, there’s a clear north-south divide, with all 10 of the most expensive towns based in southern England and seven in the south west.

Salcombe, Devon (£672,874) and Sandbanks, Dorset (£614,726) lead the way in the price tables. Outside the south west, the most expensive town is Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast (£413,393).

Here are the 10 most expensive seaside locations right now.

Source: Land Registry

[SPOTLIGHT]House prices have continued to rise in several seaside towns over the past year. Newtonhill (Aberdeenshire) and Shoreham by Sea recorded the largest annual price growth at 20%, four times the average for all seaside towns. The next biggest were: Sandwich, Kent (18%); Watchet, Somerset (18%); Seaton, Devon (17%); and Dalgety Bay, Fife (16%).

Largest rises north of the border

The largest seaside house price rises of the last 10 years were all recorded in Scotland. Fraserburgh (Aberdeenshire) has seen a whopping 109% increase from £63,540 in 2005 to £132,920 in 2015.

Lerwick in the Shetlands and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire showed the next largest growth at 102%. The price rises, particularly in Aberdeenshire, could be down to a boost in the local economy from the oil industry over the last decade.

Despite such significant growth, the Scottish towns make up eight out of 10 of the least expensive seaside towns in the UK, as shown below.

Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute is the least expensive, with an average property price of £73,539, almost £600,000 lower than Salcombe.

Source: Land Registry

Outside northern Britain, the least expensive seaside towns are Lowestoft with an average property value of £153,025, followed by Great Yarmouth (£159,965) and Margate (£164,995).

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