HOMES are selling twice as quickly in Evesham as the national average, according to building society Bradford and Bingley.

The society has found property changes hands in only five weeks on average, whereas elsewhere the deal takes 11 weeks.

First-time buyers are responsible for the fastest sales.

"In the Evesham area, apart from the benefit of the mainline railway to Paddington on the doorstep, there's a further localised reason," said Peter Bolton King, the area director for Bradford and Bingley.

"Evesham is particularly popular as it tends to be a little cheaper than the Stratford area.

"We've seen many instances of buyers looking for their first-time home realising they can obtain more for their money if they are prepared to move a few miles down the road."

The society said the Vale of Evesham suffered a shortage of housing, but this had "not driven up prices as quickly as we have seen in the past".