Sandbanks named most pricey seaside town, Port Bannatyne the least

Glitzy Sandbanks in Dorset has been named Britain's most expensive seaside town, with the average price of a home there nearly £665,000.

Salcombe in Devon, where the average home is worth £539,950, was in second place behind Sandbanks, where the typical property costs £664,655, according to Halifax's annual Seaside Town Review.

The South West of England, a popular area for people buying second homes, dominated the list of most expensive seaside towns in Britain, while Scotland dominated the list of seaside towns with the least expensive properties.

Padstow, Dartmouth, Fowey, St Mawes and Wadebridge in the South West were all on the list of seaside towns with the highest property values, while in Scotland Port Bannatyne, Girvan, Campbeltown, Stranraer, Invergordon and Rothesay were among the least expensive towns.

Someone could buy around eight properties typically in Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute in Scotland for the price of an average home in Sandbanks, a haven for celebrities.

Port Bannatyne is the least expensive seaside town on the list, with the average house price there standing at £77,132.

Second-home buyers are often blamed for helping to push up house prices in many popular seaside towns across Britain and making it harder for local people to get on the housing ladder.

On April 1, a three percentage point stamp duty hike was imposed on people buying second properties, including buy-to-let investors. Stamp duty has been abolished in Scotland, but a similar tax increase has been imposed there to mirror the stamp duty changes in the rest of the UK.

Halifax found that house prices have increased by £440 a month on average in Britain's seaside towns over the last decade. The average property price in a seaside town has increased by 32% from £166,565 in 2006 to £219,386 in 2016.

Halifax used house price figures from the Land Registry and the Registers of Scotland for the report, covering 196 seaside towns across Britain.

Martin Ellis, a housing economist at Halifax, said:" Seaside towns are highly popular places to live, offering sought-after scenery, weather and lifestyle which no doubt come at a price.

"They also attract those looking for holiday properties, which add upward pressure on house prices, which our research shows have increased by an average of £440 per month since 2006."

Mr Ellis continued: "If you're looking for a bargain, it's still easier to find the further North you go, where the average price in several areas is still below £100,000."

Here are the 10 most expensive seaside towns in Britain, with the average house price there, according to Halifax:

1. Sandbanks, South West, £664,655

2. Salcombe, South West, £539,950

3. Padstow, South West, £443,396

4, Aldeburgh, East Anglia, £439,379

5. Lymington, South East, £426,112

6. Dartmouth, South West, £401,361

7. Fowey, South West, £379,003

8. St Mawes, South West, £373,746

9. Wadebridge, South West, £373,351

10. Budleigh Salterton, South West, £360,984

And here are the 10 least expensive seaside towns in Britain, with the average house price, according to Halifax:

1. Port Bannatyne, Scotland, £77,132

2. Newbiggin by the Sea, North, £81,259

3. Girvan, Scotland, £91,912

4. Campbeltown, Scotland, £91,938

5. Saltcoats, Scotland, £93,479

6. Stranraer, Scotland, £96,476

7. Invergordon, Scotland, £98,673

8. Millport, Scotland, £98,742

9. Rothesay, Scotland, £99,005

10. Thurso, Scotland, £99,660