HOUSE prices leapt by 10.9% year-on-year in April, marking the first time in four years that annual growth in values has reached double figures, Nationwide has reported.

Property prices across the UK lifted by 1.2% on the previous month to reach £183,577 on average, increasing the risk that people will have to stretch their mortgage borrowing, the building society said.

The last time that the annual house price growth reached the 10% mark was in April 2010.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, said housing market demand from potential buyers is "likely to remain robust" amid growing consumer confidence in the economy and mortgage rates remaining close to all-time lows.

Mr Gardner said: "Earnings growth is beginning to pick up, with wage increases finally outpacing the rise in the cost of living in February. Nevertheless, house price growth is outstripping income growth by a wide margin. The risk is that unless supply accelerates significantly, affordability will become stretched."

Fears of a major housing bubble have largely been contained to south of the border and property price rises in Scotland have been more modest on average.