Calderdale towns among country's top property hotspots 2017

Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden have seen average house price rises of between 10 and 12 per cent in the last 12 months, the second and fourth biggest rises in the UK, respectively.

Only Sudbury in Suffolk recorded a bigger increase than Sowerby Bridge. Properties there fetched an average of £265,000, compared with just over £190,000 in the two Calderdale towns.

Stephen Revell, branch manager at William H Brown estate agents in Sowerby Bridge, said: “Buyers are certainly cottoning on to the fact that in this location, you get a lot more property for your money.”

Mayor of Todmorden, Councillor Christine Potter, said: "Todmorden is an attractive place. It is convenient who work in the cities to travel to Manchester and Leeds.

“We are a cultural centre. We have Incredible Edible, over 50 art studios, a brass band, orchestra, at least three choirs, writing groups, a U3A - a tremendous number of organisations.

“We also have lovely buildings like the town hall, exhibitions and a theatre. All of these make it a lovely place to live.

“Everywhere you go there is a sense of community and there’s lots going on that lots of people don’t realise.”

London was excluded from the report, which went on to list Kendal, West Bromwich and the Cambridgeshire town of March among the other top ten hotspots.

Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, which produced the figures, said: “Although prices have grown at a muted rate of 1.2 per cent nationally this year, there are a number of local markets where strong demand and short supply has led to pretty heady price rises, especially in areas where homes are relatively more affordable than some of their nearby cities.”

Here are the top ten property hotspots, their average asking price and percentage increase:1. Sudbury, Suffolk: £265,291 - 13.12. Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire: £191,716 - 12.53. Kendal, Cumbria: £226,163 - 104. Todmorden, West Yorkshire: £193,408 - 9.95. Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset: £235,083 - 9.96. Havant, Hampshire: £254,379 - 9.77. Rushden, Northampton: £227,534 - 9.78. Kettering, Northampton: £198,354 - 9.79. West Bromwich, West Midlands: £149,360 - 9.510. March, Cambridge: £210,157 - 9.4