House prices in Scotland's seaside towns have soared in the last ten years, with the biggest rises in Aberdeenshire.

The average house price in seaside towns has grown by £348 per month since 2005, according to a Bank of Scotland Seaside Towns Review.

Over the past decade, the average price has grown by 39%, from £108,449 to £150,210 – exceeding the 32% increase for all seaside towns in Britain.

Read more: House prices 'increased five times as much as average earnings'

Seven of the top ten coastal towns with the biggest price increases in Scotland are located in Aberdeenshire.

The top five most expensive properties are located on the eastern coastline of the country.

By contrast out of ten of the least expensive seaside towns are in the west of Scotland.

The Herald:

Port Bannatyne on Bute is the most inexpensive in Scotland with an average price of £77,132.

North Berwick has become the most expensive seaside town with an average price of £327,124.

St Andrews is the second most expensive (£302,536), followed by Newtonhill (£245,507), Stonehaven (£236,057) and Inverbervie (£213,468).

Read more: House prices 'reach record £212,000 average'

Fraserburgh has seen the greatest level of house price growth with a rise of 139% from £63,540 in 2005 to £151,719 in 2015, equivalent to a monthly increase of £735.

Macduff also recorded a doubling on average property values (102%) from £66,226 to £133,567.

This is followed by Peterhead (95%), Cove Bay (94%) and Newtonhill (91%).

The Herald:

Nicola Noble, mortgage director at Bank of Scotland said: "Living on the coast offers many attractions, including a typically high quality of life and attractive surroundings.

"As a result, property in seaside towns is often very popular with homebuyers.

"Whilst property in seaside towns can be more expensive than elsewhere, exceptional value for money can still be found for those searching to realise their dream of living near the sea."

Lerwick in the Shetlands saw the second biggest growth amongst Scottish seaside towns, rising by £81,812 to £159, 325 – an increase of 106%.

Read more: Scots house prices rising at twice the rate of England

Other towns outside Aberdeenshire with the largest price increases include Millport (84%) and Campbeltown (69%).

A further 22 coastal towns – out of the 59 surveyed – have recorded price increases of at least 50% since 2005.

Over the last year, Lossiemouth saw the largest house price increase, going from £118,330 in 2014 to £139,297 (18%). Fraserburgh (14%), Troon and Thurso (both 13%) were the other top performers.

The data is from the Registers of Scotland and refers to the 12 months to December 2005 and December 2015.

South of the border, Sandbanks in Dorset has been named Britain's most expensive seaside town, with the average price of a home there nearly £665,000.

Salcombe in Devon, where the average home is worth £539,950, was in second place behind Sandbanks, where the typical property costs £664,655, according to Halifax's annual Seaside Town Review.

The South West of England, a popular area for people buying second homes, dominated the list of most expensive seaside towns in Britain, while Scotland dominated the list of seaside towns with the least expensive properties.

Padstow, Dartmouth, Fowey, St Mawes and Wadebridge in the South West were all on the list of seaside towns with the highest property values

Martin Ellis, a housing economist at Halifax, said:" Seaside towns are highly popular places to live, offering sought-after scenery, weather and lifestyle which no doubt come at a price.

"They also attract those looking for holiday properties, which add upward pressure on house prices, which our research shows have increased by an average of £440 per month since 2006."

Mr Ellis continued: "If you're looking for a bargain, it's still easier to find the further North you go, where the average price in several areas is still below £100,000."