HOUSEHUNTERS in some areas of the North are having to pay more than in others for local searches, research has shown.

Fees levied by borough and district councils vary by more than 75 per cent in the region.

Law firm Gordon Brown Associates, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, which carried out the research, found that the cost differed greatly across the North despite people paying for exactly the same procedure.

Of 22 authorities surveyed, all but six had increased the search fees this year.

Prospective home buyers can expect to pay £95 for a search in Middlesbrough, but in Darlington the figure rises to £128.

Both Tynedale Council and Durham City Council had increased the fees by £15, taking the charges to £115 and £135 respectively.

Stockton Borough Council raised its fees by £10 this year to £95, but it still remained one of the cheapest in the region.

The second biggest rise in fees, behind Morpeth Council, Northumberland, was Derwentside District Council, which increased its charges by £20 to £110.