Britain's house prices increased by 1.1 percent in April from the previous month, bringing the average house price to 229,000 pounds (357,240 U.S. dollars), said the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday.

ONS said London continued to be the region with the highest average house price, standing at 388,000 pounds (527,280 dollars) in April, while the North East region had the lowest average price at 145,000 pounds (226,200 dollars).

Prices of New dwellings rose by 5.1 percent during the 12 months to April, and the prices of pre-owned dwellings went up 1.1 percent in the same period.

In its report, ONS found that the stamp duty holiday for first-time buyers, which was announced in the Budget 2010 and ended on 25 March this year, has had impact on first-time home buyers.

Houses bought by first-time buyers accounted for 32 percent of the total in April, lower than the 43 percent in the previous month, as the stamp duty holiday had exempted those buying their first home from stamp duty up to 250,000 pounds (390,000 dollars).