FURTHER evidence of a north-south divide in the housing market emerged as figures showed the first fall in national prices since November 2001.

Property website hometrack said the slowdown had been felt the most in the South East, although counties north of a line drawn from the River Severn to The Wash still reported healthy rises.

Overall, prices in England and Wales fell 0.1 per cent in April, continuing 11 months of steady decline in house price inflation since May's peak of 2.6 per cent.

John Wriglesworth, hometrack's housing economist, said: "Low interest rates, high employment and growing income may remain across the country, but the price rises seen in the north conceal a very unsettled picture in the south."

Those counties that saw the largest growth in the past are leading the falls, with the average price for the ten worst affected counties being £211,090, compared with those with the biggest rises being £91,810.

Of the 24 counties reporting rises, the highest was County Durham at 0.6 per cent, followed by 0.4 per cent in South Wales and Teesside, and 0.3 per cent in Mid Wales and North Wales.