SEVEN out of the top 10 highest property price risers are in the North West of England, with Oldham coming in ninth, according to Rightmove’s study across Britain.

Wallasey in Merseyside has been identified as the top property price hotspot, with Leigh in Greater Manchester second on the list and Oldham coming in ninth.

In Oldham asking prices are up by 11.3 per cent annually with the average asking price in March hitting £174,925.

Rightmove said asking prices in Wallasey are meanwhile nearly £24,000 higher than a year ago. Throughout March and April, one in three properties in the town sold within a week, according to Rightmove’s data taken from its website.

Nationally, asking prices are at a record high of £327,797, an annual rise of 5.1 per cent on average. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of properties are selling within a week across Britain – the highest proportion Rightmove has recorded.

A new survey by the website among estate agents found nearly half (46 per cent) are asking that a buyer has already had an offer accepted on their home if they want to physically view a property, and just over a third (37 per cent) are asking that a buyer at least has their property already on the market.

For first-time buyers, many agents are asking that they first have a mortgage in principle before they can view a property, Rightmove said.

The top property hotspots according to Rightmove, with the average asking price in March and the annual increase are:

1. Wallasey, Merseyside, £176,707, 15.6 per cent

2. Leigh, Greater Manchester, £160,345, 12.8 per cent

3. Penzance, Cornwall, £280,102, 12.5 per cent

4. Birkenhead, Merseyside, £145,437, 12.4 per cent

5. Wednesbury, West Midlands, £172,753, 12.2 per cent

6. Lancaster, Lancashire, £199,707, 11.8 per cent

7. Sandbach, Cheshire, £280,888, 11.6 per cent

8. Rossendale, Lancashire, £207,618, 11.4 per cent

9. Oldham, Greater Manchester, £174,925, 11.3 per cent

10. Burntwood, Staffordshire, £254,418, 11.2 per cent