AVERAGE house prices in the Scottish Borders dropped slightly in February, new Land Registry figures show.

But the drop does not reverse the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 11.8% annual growth.

The average price in February was £193,133, a 0.1% decrease on January.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in the Scottish Borders rose by £20,000 – putting the area 17th among Scotland’s 32 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

Owners of terraced houses fared worst in the Scottish Borders in February – they dropped 0.2% in price, to £163,914 on average. But over the last year, prices rose by 11.7%.

Among other types of property: Detached: up 0.1% monthly; up 14.2% annually; £333,511 average, Semi-detached: down 0.2% monthly; up 12.7% annually; £199,159 average and flats: down 0.2% monthly; up 9% annually; £105,709 average

First-time buyers in the Scottish Borders spent an average of £150,000 on their property – £15,000 more than a year ago, and £43,000 more than in February 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £228,000 on average in February – 51.9% more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 6.8% more than the average price in Scotland (£181,000) in February for a property in the Scottish Borders. Across Scotland, property prices are higher than those across the UK, where the average cost £277,000.

The most expensive properties in Scotland were in Edinburgh – £315,000 on average, and 1.6 times as much as more than in the Scottish Borders. Edinburgh properties cost 2.6 times as much as homes in North Ayrshire (£120,000 average), at the other end of the scale.