Ilkley'S residential property market is booming, according to one of the town's leading estate agents.

Chairman of Dacre, Son and Hartley, Martin Thompson, said: :House prices generally are up by six per cent in the Yorkshire region with localised hotspots such as Ilkley up by as much as 15 per cent. The market is very favourable for sellers at the moment."

Patrick McCutchon, director of Dacre, Son and Hartley in Ilkley, said: "With demand running higher, buyers tend to cast their nets wider."

But he added that many would-be sellers were losing out because they were delaying putting their own property on the market until they had found new homes to move into.

"It's much better to get your house up for sale straight away as this immediately increases the choice of houses and flats available for everyone in the marketplace," said Mr McCutcheon.

Dacre, Son and Hartley was founded in 1820 and has 19 offices in Yorkshire, including one on The Grove, Ilkley.

Mr Thompson said: "At the lower end, first-time buyers are almost queuing up for properties in the £40,000 to £120,000 price bracket - many terrace houses in Ilkley, for example, are selling within two weeks of being put on the market.

"But things are moving equally well at the top end too - we currently have more than 800 clients on our books who are looking for homes valued at £250,000 and above."

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