Property prices by the seaside have soured by almost 200 per cent during the past seven years.

In Brighton, prices have increased by 192 per cent, according to results of research released today.

The popular seaside resort came only behind the Cornish town of Padstow, home of TV seafood chef Rick Stein, where prices have trebled.

The figures show the average price of a property in Brighton has risen by £103,786 since 1995, meaning the average home now costs £157,464.

In Peacehaven, the average house price has risen by £78,720, with the average home now costing £135,152 compared with £56,432 in 1995.

House prices have shot up an average of £101,992 in Shoreham with the average home now costing £169,041 compared with £67,048 in 1995.

Prices have also risen in Littlehampton where average homes have gone up by £90,147, boosting the average price of a home to £149,047 from £58,900 in 1995.

Property prices more than doubled during the past seven years in Hastings, Dorset, Lymington, Bournemouth, Exmouth, Devon, Hampshire and Margate, in Kent.

Out of 100 seaside towns surveyed by mortgage lender Halifax in England and Wales, 71 enjoyed average yearly price increases that topped ten per cent during the past seven years.

After Brighton, the next biggest increase was in Falmouth, Cornwall, where there has been an increase of 177 per cent.

Seven out of ten seaside towns in Sussex outperformed the county increase in prices, with six out of ten resorts in Cornwall doing the same.