SOARING Weymouth house prices have put the town in the top 20 of a survey measuring rises in the cost of seaside resort homes.

Over the past decade the average Weymouth house price has spiralled from £57,000 to £186,000, according to a survey by Halifax estate agents.

Representing a 224.7 per cent rise, the figure puts the resort at number 20 in a table charting the largest seaside town increases.

Matt Pavey, sales negotiator for Hull Gregson and Hull in St Thomas Street, Weymouth, said: "Those figures don't surprise me. There has been a significant increase since 1995 but I would say it has levelled off in the last year.

"However, maybe with the Olympics it might pick up again - but you never can tell."

The new figures placed Weymouth just behind Christchurch, which saw a rise from £75,900 to £246,540. Top of the table is Falmouth in Cornwall. In 1995 its average price was £58,920 compared with £242,483 today.

Penzance was second with a rise from £50,997 to £205,133.

A Halifax spokesman said the list showed the south of England was the most popular venues for homes.

He continued: "Seventeen of the 20 seaside locations with the highest property price rises were all in the south of England - ten in the south east and seven in the south west. The exceptions are Brancaster in East Anglia and Llandudno and Colwyn Bay in north Wales."

He said the average UK increase over the same period was 186 per cent.

Other figures release by Hometrack reveal that house prices across Dorset dipped 0.3 percent over the last month.

They showed that the overall average house price was £190,100. A terraced house was £141,800, a semi was £169,300, a detached home was £259,900 and a flat was £130,500.

Economist John Wrigglesworth said: "House prices have failed to respond to the recent interest rate cut."