HOUSE prices in East Renfrewshire are highest in the whole of Scotland, according to the latest round of official statistics. The average price of a house in the county rose to �203,065 between January 2012 and March 2012 - a year-on-year rise of 12.1 per cent.

House prices only stood at �181,216 in East Renfrewshire in the same time period last year.

The average price for East Renfrewshire was far higher than Scottish national average - which stood at �148,764.

The high results for East Renfrewshire are taken for the area as a whole, meaning that Barrhead and Neilston are put in with neighbouring towns such as Clarkston and Giffnock, where average prices are significantly higher.

The rise in price of East Renfrewshire homes also resulted in a drop in house sales in the county - down from 331 in October to December 2011 to 237 in January to March 2012. However, this is still up year-on-year by 17.9 per cent.

A council spokesman said the figures showed how the whole of East Renfrewshire had become one of Scotland's most desirable places to live.

He added: "High house prices in East Renfrewshire are clearly a sign of the prosperity within the area.

"It's been highlighted many times that people move here and will pay more for a house because it has the reputation of being a good place to live and grow and our schools are among the very best in the country. But we need to be alert that affordable housing is a real issue for local residents and that people aren't priced out of the housing market."

The figures were released by the Registers of Scotland, whose data showed the average cost of a home was �148,764 between January and March - a rise of 1.7 per cent on the same period last year.

However compared with the last three months of 2011, the average price of a home fell by more than �8,000, or 5.4 per cent.

East Ren assumed top spot after previous leader Edinburgh suffered a fall of more than 10 per cent from the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2012.

In Scotland as a whole the number of houses sold over the year rose by 10.4 per cent but the volume of sales in the first three months of this year fell by almost a third compared with the last quarter of 2011.

The only other counties to see dramatic rises in their house prices were West Dunbartonshire and the Orkney Islands.