East Sussex is among the top of the table of English counties for property price rises, according to a new survey.

The average price of a home rose by 2.6 per cent in June, according to property research company Hometrack.

Its report says the housing boom is set to continue, with prices expected to soar by 20 per cent this year.

Only Cornwall, Teesside, Derbyshire, Bedfordshire and Dorset showed greater house price rises.

The average cost of an East Sussex home was £147,700, according to Hometrack.

The company says house prices nationally have risen by 9.8 per cent so far this year and expects them to continue rising in 2003, although at a slower rate of eight per cent.

John Wriglesworth, housing economist at Hometrack, said: "I am not expecting it to slow this year - its gone up ten per cent so far and we are expecting it to go up another ten per cent."

He stressed that despite the boom he was not expecting a crash - although in some places where owners have paid high prices they could see falls.