Latest survey also reveals highly regionalised pattern to the UK house price recovery

Recent rises in house prices slowed in December, according to the latest survey from the RICS.

The survey said that while 30% more agents reported a rise than a fall in prices, this was down from November's figure of 35%.

In addition, the survey found that the price recovery was highly regionalised, with more surveyors reporting falls than rises in the North and the West Midlands.

Twenty percent more surveyors stated that enquiries from potential purchasers were rising rather than falling, the RICS said, but enquiries rose at the slowest pace since January 2009.