Property prices in Sussex are rising above the national average with some homes in the east of the county increasing by more than 30 per cent in a year.

Brighton and Hove is still at the centre of the booming market. The average price of a flat in the city has soared 18.5 per cent to £137,320.

People need to be earning more than £40,000 a year before they can get a mortgage for properties in the city.

The average price of a detached property in Brighton and Hove has risen 22 per cent from £265,109 to £323,959 in the three-month period ending in March, compared with the same period in 2002.

The price of a semi-detached property in the city rose from £170,086 to £204,370, up 20 per cent.

The figures, from the Land Registry, show the rise in property prices has slightly slowed down in the last quarter.

The biggest price rises in Sussex were for semi-detached homes in East Sussex, up from £127,757 to £167,649, a rise of 31 per cent with the average price of flats increasing from £75,400 to £94,799, a rise of 25.5 per cent.

Some West Sussex homes have seen price increases above the national average of 22.4 per cent.

The average price of a detached house has risen from £253,145 to £305, 002, a rise of 20.5 per cent.

The average price of a semi-detached property has gone up from £148,595 to £162, 239, a rise of 22.5 per cent, with the price of flats rising from £91,302 to £116,416, up 27.5 per cent.

Friday May 9 2003