UK house prices rise 11.8% in year to Sept - ONS

LONDON (Reuters) - British house prices in September were 11.8% higher than a year earlier, their biggest annual increase since June, official data showed on Wednesday.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the increase was the second-largest in more than 15 years, after June's 12.6% increase.

September was the final month of a temporary government programme to lower property purchase taxes to support housing transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by William Schomberg)