Government figures are suggesting a big leap in average house prices in the Isle of Man.

In the quarterly statistics made available to the Council of Ministers, the average sum paid in 2007 is quoted as approaching ?266,000 - a substantial increase on the 2006 figure of ?238,000.

The number of house sales shows a healthy increase, after a fall in 2006, but it's bad news for young people trying to get on the first rung of the property ladder.