House prices increased slightly, by 0.8%, in South Hams in January, new figures show.

The boost contributes to the longer-term trend, which has seen property prices in the area achieve 22.8% annual growth.

The average South Hams house price in January was £424,072, Land Registry figures show – a 0.8% increase on December.

Over the month, the picture was better than that across the South West, where prices decreased 1.1%, and South Hams outperformed the 0.4% rise for the UK as a whole.

Over the last year, the average sale price of property in South Hams rose by £79,000 – putting the area second among the South West’s 29 local authorities with price data for annual growth.

The best annual growth in the region was in North Devon, where property prices increased on average by 24.6%, to £331,000. At the other end of the scale, properties in the Forest of Dean gained just 6% in value, giving an average price of £283,000.

Owners of flats saw the biggest improvement in property prices in South Hams in January – they increased 1.2%, to £234,458 on average. Over the last year, prices rose by 16.1%.

Among other types of property: Detached: up 0.5% monthly; up 24.6% annually; £638,612 average Semi-detached: up 0.9% monthly; up 24% annually; £410,816 average

Terraced: up 0.9% monthly; up 21.8% annually; £326,742 average

First-time buyers in South Hams spent an average of £337,000 on their property – £61,000 more than a year ago, and £102,000 more than in January 2017.

By comparison, former owner-occupiers paid £475,000 on average in January – 41% more than first-time buyers.

Buyers paid 37.9% more than the average price in the South West (£307,000) in January for a property in South Hams. Across the South West, property prices are high compared to those across the UK, where the average cost £274,000.

The most expensive properties in the South West were in the Cotswolds – £467,000 on average, and 1.1 times as much as more than in South Hams. Cotswold properties cost 2.3 times as much as homes in Plymouth (£206,000 average), at the other end of the scale.

The highest property prices across the UK were in Kensington and Chelsea.

Average property price in January

• South Hams: £424,072

• The South West: £307,468

• UK: £273,762

Annual growth to January

• South Hams: +22.8%

• The South West: +10.9%

• UK: +9.6%

Best and worst annual growth in the South West

• North Devon: +24.6%

• The Forest of Dean: +6%