House prices in south Essex rose by more than £2,400 last month, new figures reveal today.

A survey by Team, Britain's largest network of independent estate agents, found average prices across Essex rose by more than two per cent between January and February - almost twice the rate seen in the previous month.

The average Essex home is now worth £119,780, shattering the belief the bottom would fall out of the property market in the wake of the New York terror attacks.

The Halifax today confirmed that the national average house price had increased by 1.5 per cent.

Derek Rona, chairman of Essex Team which has 47 members, said: "All the predictions of doom and gloom we saw after September 11 have turned out to be unfounded and the market is continuing to go from strength to strength."

Published Thursday, March 7, 2002