Margate has seen the highest 10 year percentage rise in house prices of all seaside towns in Britain, according to figures released today.

Average prices in the town rose by 98%, from £142,920 in 2011 to £282,734 in 2021, the biggest leap in prices seen in 191 UK towns listed in the latest Halifax Seaside Town Review.

Other Kent towns also dominate the list of 10 year increases with Ramsgate (92%), Herne Bay (88%), and Deal (84%) making up the top four, and Whitstable (81%) being sixth highest.

Despite the increases seen in Kent, the highest prices for seaside homes remain in the South West, with Sandbanks in Dorset claiming Britain's highest average price of £929,127, up 10% on 2020.

The previous year's most expensive location, Salcombe in Devon, is in second place with an average of £912,599.

Country-wide, the average British seaside home costs £287,087, up 8% on last year, while last year’s cheapest seaside town, Millport in Scotland, saw the greatest annual price increase, up 53%.

Russell Galley, managing director, Halifax, said: “Our ongoing love affair with living by the sea shows few signs of abating.

"Homes on the coast have long attracted a premium price, and this was no different in 2021, with the move towards working from home being an ongoing influence is where people choose to live. The average seaside home cost £287,087, up 8% on the previous year.

“Whether it’s a lifestyle sought, the scenery or the sea air, when it comes to buying homes; we really do love to be beside the seaside. The biggest beneficiary of that desire last year was Millport on the Scottish island of Great Cumbrae, and over the last five years it was Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute."

The Halifax review is based on house price data from the Land Registry and Registers of Scotland.