Average house prices grew strongly in December according to the latest survey from building society Nationwide.

Prices rose 0.8% in the month compared with 0.1% in November. Overall in 2015 house prices rose by 4.5%, with the average price of a property in the UK now at £196,999.

Separately, the Land Registry for England and Wales reported that prices rose by 5.6% in the year to November. It said the average price of a house or flat was £186,325.

Nationwide said the growth in house prices broadly matched growth in average salaries, adding that it expected to see a similar pace of growth next year.

Rival lender Halifax calculates that prices are rising twice as fast. Its most recent survey suggested that prices went up by 9% in the year to November.

London remained the strongest performing region for the fifth year running, with average prices up 12% compared with a year ago, according to Nationwide. Across the UK as a whole, prices are around 7% higher, Nationwide added.

Scotland was the only part of the UK that saw a fall in average house prices, with values down 1.9% in the three months to the end of December compared with the same period a year ago.