The average cost of a detached house in Brighton, Hove and West Sussex has topped the £200,000 mark for the first time.

Demand for for good-quality homes in the Brighton area has increased the average price of a detached house by almost £65,000 in a year.

Detailed figures from the Land Registry show the average cost of a detached house sold in Brighton and Hove to be £211,295 during the months January to March of this year, up from £147,154 in the same period last year.

A similar house in West Sussex will cost an average of £202,090, up from £166,650, and in East Sussex the average price is £180,057, up from £142,603.

Only relatively low prices in the Hastings area are keeping the costs of a detached house throughout East Sussex below the £200,000 mark.

Land Registry figures are the most accurate way of assessing property sales because they are based on the registered prices of the properties when sold. According to the figures, the average cost of a home in Brighton and Hove is now £106,169. For semi-detached houses the figure is £127,967, for terraced homes it is £127,059, and flats and maisonettes cost, on average, £77,477.

In West Sussex the average prices are £121,928 for a house, £114,773 for a semi, 95,572 for a terraced house and £65,288 for a flat or maisonette.

The average figures in East Sussex are £114,773 for a semi, £95,572 for a semi, and £66,288 for a flat or maisonette.

Phil Graves of Brighton-based Graves Jenkins estate agents and property development firm, said: "The increased price rises are right across the board in Sussex.

"Prices are increasing because a lot of people now find it possible to work two or three days in London and base themselves in Brighton or areas in the country close to the capital. Detached properties are increasing in value as buyers like a bit of legroom."

The figures come days after it was revealed spiralling prices are forcing first-time buyers out of the market.