A fall in house prices in the West Midlands was more noticeable than in any other region in June, according to the latest poll of surveyors.

The latest research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) shows 58 per cent of its members witnessed a drop in house prices in the region, compared to 46 per cent reporting a fall in Northern Ireland and 42 per cent in East Anglia.

The only group of surveyors reporting a rise was in the London region, where 27 per cent of members noticed a rise in prices of between one and eight per cent.

Alan Collet, housing spokesman for RICS said demand for property showed little change in June with new buyer enquiries remaining flat.

He explained, ‘The only buyers who can really be considered serious are those who already have sold their property or who have a mortgage agreement in place.

‘Sellers are now holding off form putting their properties on the market. The average number of completed sales per surveyor failed to move, staying at just 14.8.’

Collet said house prices at a national level continued to fall in June, with 27 per cent of surveyors reporting price falls rather than rises.

He added, ‘Looking ahead, expectations for future house prices showed a broadly similar pattern with 27 per cent more respondents expecting prices to fall rather than rise over the next three months.’