North Berwick tops list of Scotland's most expensive seaside towns

North Berwick has been identified as the most expensive seaside town in Scotland, in an annual study by Halifax.

North Berwick has topped the list of Scotlands most expensive seaside towns.

The East Lothian town topped the Scottish list, with a typical home worth £314,435, edging out second placed St Andrews, where a property is valued at about £300,319.

North Berwick and St Andrews were the most expensive towns outside southern England.

Sandbanks in Dorset was found to be Britain’s most expensive seaside town for the second year in a row.

With an average house price of £664,051, the glamorous hotspot popular with celebrities was named as Britain’s priciest seaside location. Salcombe in Devon, which was the priciest seaside town in 2015, came second on the list in the 2017 report, with an average home there valued at £617,743.

During the last 10 years, the average house price in Britain’s seaside towns has increased by 25 per cent, from £181,060 in 2007 to £226,916 in 2017 – equating to an average increase of £382 per month.

Second home buyers are often blamed for helping to push up house prices in many popular seaside towns, making it harder for people who grew up in these locations to get on the housing ladder. In April 2016, a stamp duty hike was imposed on second home buyers.

There is a marked north-south divide in property values in seaside towns, Halifax said, with southern England dominating the list of the most expensive seaside towns.

Home buyers wanting to be beside the seaside may want to consider focusing their search on Scotland, which has nine out of the 10 least expensive coastal towns.

Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute is the least expensive seaside location in the survey, with an average price there of £71,550.