The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) says the housing market withstood the pressures from three bank holiday weekends in April.

It said the average agent sold eight properties per branch in April, the same as in March and February.

However, the number of house hunters fell from an average of 290 in March to 277 April. Despite the drop in demand, this remains in-line with year on year figures.

Supply levels across the country increased slightly with NAEA agents reporting 69 properties available per branch, up from 68 in March. This represents a significant increase on the 62 homes reported in April last year.

The number of sales made to first time buyers fell slightly, moving from 23% to 21% across March and April.

Michael Jones, president of the NAEA, said: “Although regional variations do remain