House prices rose "strongly" this month, new research has indicated.

The latest house price report from Nationwide Building Society has suggested that the average price of a house in the UK now stands at some £186,044, a 1.1 per cent increase on September.

Nationwide's chief economist Fionnuala Earley commented that it would be misguided to attribute the figures to house prices being immune to decreasing affordability and tightening credit conditions.

"Most leading indicators of housing market activity are continuing to weaken. Surveyors are reporting the weakest levels of new buyer inquiries in many years and mortgage approvals are falling from recent highs amid weaker demand and tighter lending criteria for riskier borrowers," she said.

Ms Earley concluded by stating that slowing demand will not have an impact on prices straight away if homeowners are not in a rush to sell.

Nationwide's latest quarterly regional house price report noted that the average house price in Scotland remains below the UK average, currently standing at £152,479.