Asking prices for houses in England and Wales saw their biggest rise in the month to mid-September for 13 years as cheap borrowing and a lack of available properties led to market “extremes”, property website Rightmove said yesterday.

Further signs of a confidence boost in the housing market were reported today, as a property search website said that the number of new year house sellers had reached its highest level since 2008.

UK house prices jumped by 1.2% during the first week of January as confident new sellers hiked their asking prices, research showed today.

British home sellers have slashed their asking prices by more than £4,000 (€5,000) during the past month as the number of properties on the market hits a new high, figures showed today.