UK house prices increased by 9.9 per cent in the financial year to April 2014, government statistics revealed today. Whilst prices are now higher than the pre-recession levels of 2008 the average figure is distorted by runaway house price inflation in London (18.9%) and to a lesser extent the South East (8.9%) and East Anglia (8.5%) . Elsewhere growth is much lower varying between Northern Ireland (2.6%) and West Midlands (6.7%).