Scotland, Wales and the north west of England are set to lead the UK’s housing market in the coming year, with London the only area that will fail to join in any resurgence in house prices, surveyors believe.

Demand for properties has fallen steadily over the past year, with the supply of new homes to the market following suit, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said.

The proportion of surveyors reporting a fall in sales outweighed those reporting a rise by 20pc in March, the 13th consecutive month of falls.