Britain’s most profitable region for homeowners was the Welsh valley town of Mountain Ash in 2021, where the average asking price rose by almost a third to £137,220.

The town of Porth, in the same Welsh county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, came second, as home prices grew by 26pc to £141,727. Kirkby, a town close to Liverpool, ranked third as prices bumped up 21pc to £141,252.

St Ives was the only region in the south of England that made the top 20, where prices rose by 15pc to £473,161, according to property website Rightmove.

House prices grew the fastest in Wales this year, up 11pc on average, followed by South West England and South East England, up 10 and 9pc respectively.

Property in Wales was particularly popular among buyers, boasting four of the top ten areas with the biggest jump in agreed sales. The Welsh town of Holyhead topped the list, where sales jumped 58pc. 

Overall, every region across Britain hit record asking prices for homes this year. Rightmove found that 70pc of homes listed on its platform had found a buyer and were marked “sold subject to contract” in 2021, compared to just 20pc in 2012.