HOUSE prices in Herefordshire have risen by nearly a third in the past year, according to Hereford property law specialists, Mundy's.

Comparing figures from the Land Registry for January to March 2003 with the same period last year, it found average prices have risen from £121,881 to £147,676, slightly above the £145,897 England and Wales average .

Total sales, however, are down with around 640 properties sold in Hereford shire between January and March compared with the 709 that changed hands in the same period last year.