St Albans’ housing market is leading the pack when it comes to increasing value, a new report has revealed.

Home services marketplace Plentific.com has released a 2016 property price index, providing a look at how the UK’s housing prices have behaved over the last twelve months.

St Albans ranks eight on the list for areas with the highest property value increase of 2016, rising by 17.28 per cent on the previous year.

In December 2015, the average price of a house sold in St Alban was £511,418 but Plentific’s new figures show the average house price in 2016 is £599,772 – an increase of £88,354.

The city joins Sutton, Reading, Brentwood and Aylesbury as commuter areas surging in value due to a so-called “London ripple effect”.

Plentific spokesperson Stephen Jury, said: “Our report shows the winners and losers in property this year.

“More importantly, it gives valuable insight to those wanting to get onto the property ladder or invest in property in areas with good potential for price increases.

“We have found a fifth of homeowners carry out home improvements to increase the value of their property.

“Buying and renovating a fixer-upper in the right area will increase the value significantly, so this is worth considering when hunting for property.”

There is a clear north/south divide in Plentific’s figures as areas such as Rotherham, Salford and Bradford find themselves in the bottom 10 and St Albans is one of nine southern areas in the top 10.