OXFORDSHIRE saw the highest house price rises of any county in England during the past five years, according to the Halifax.

Based on Halifax's mortgage data, the average house price in Oxfordshire has increased by 12 per cent from £235,764 in 2005 to £263,673 in 2010.

The UK average rose by just one per cent from £177,413 to £179,502 over the same period.

Seven of the top 20 are in Scotland, with Aberdeenshire seeing a 46 per cent rise. There were just two other English counties in the top 20, with Somerset seeing an increase of just under 12 per cent, while East Sussex prices increased by 11 per cent.

Suren Thiru, housing economist at Halifax, predicted UK house prices at the end of 2011 would be ’broadly similar’ to the end of 2010.

"We do, however, expect some modest variations in house price performance across the country. Prices are expected to be strongest in southern England as this part of the country is likely to fare better economically. House prices outside southern England are likely to be constrained by a greater dependence on public-sector employment.”