Sussex is one of the ten most expensive places in the UK to buy a house, a survey reveals today.

House prices in the region have more than doubled in the county since 1987 according to a new report.

East Sussex is the ninth most expensive places to live in the country with a semi-detached house costing an average of £144,000.

In West Sussex the price of a semi-detached house is £150,950, putting it in seventh place.

All ten of the country's priciest areas are in the South East. Greater London tops the poll with the price of a semi-detached house averaging at £235,400.

The figures from the Halifax come amid speculation about whether house prices will continue rising at the present rate.

Halifax's last monthly house price survey, released at the beginning of August, showed the increase in house prices was set to slow as weaker economic growth curbs demand for property.

During July, house prices rose nationally by 0.7 per cent, the lowest monthly increase since January.

These figures came two days after the Nationwide Building Society gave a warning that house prices were rising at an unsustainable rate and reported a 1.1 per cent increase in prices in July.

Brian Huggins of Fox and Sons estate agency in Brighton said he was "unsurprised" by Sussex's place in the top ten.

He said the region's housing market remained strong, with more people buying in August 2001 than 12 months ago.

He said: "Though prices are relatively high in this area, property is still extremely good value in Sussex when compared to parts of central London.

"Affordability is such that the market is still very strong at the moment, particularly with interest rates as low as they are.

"Inevitably when prices get too high, to the point where they become less affordable for people, the market is going to slow down.

"However there is no sign of this happening here yet, particularly in Brighton and Hove, which has the added attraction of being a fashionable place to live. There are still a lot of people moving here from London and other areas."

Across the South East, better mortgage deals and low interest rates mean that the average homebuyer spends almost 21 per cent of their gross annual income on mortgage payments compared to a peak of almost 42 per cent in 1990.

Freddie Dryden, a negotiator at Strutt and Parker, based in Lewes, agreed there were no signs of Sussex's popularity waning.

He said: "There is always speculation about the property market whatever the situation, but we are finding it is very strong at the moment. We have had one of our busiest Augusts ever with a number of sales agreed.

"There are still a lot of London buyers coming into the area with some of the villages particularly popular. There are no indications whatsoever of a downturn in the market. All the signs are very positive."