The average house price in West Dunbartonshire last month was the second lowest in Scotland, according to new figures released by the estate agents Your Move.

The 'House Price Index' data has revealed that the average price for a property in West Dunbartonshire lay at just £109,307 - which represents an over 4 per cent drop in the average price from the same month last year.

According to the figures, the only region in Scotland where it is cheaper to purchase a property is in the Western Isles, where the average house price sits at £92,205.

The figure falls well below the house prices in neighbouring council areas, including Inverclyde at £129,929 and Renfrewshire at £142,666.

However, Scott Caldow from local estate agents Caledonia Bureau questioned the accuracy of the report and said that the figures could be interpreted in various ways.

Mr Caldow said: "The figures can depend on the houses sold within the period and therefore it doesn't necessarily mean that average house prices are actually at that figure.

"These reports are always interesting, but often I'm quite sceptical about them. We don't tend to dwell on them too much, and what's more important to us is our bottom line."

He also raised a comparison with the Shetland Islands - which has recorded an average price of £155,335 - to question the basis of the figures.

He added: "If you took over every private household in both places and put a value on them, the average house price would be higher in West Dunbartonshire than in Shetland.

"It comes down to whether in the period being looked at, there might have been 20 sales made in Shetland compared to many more in West Dunbartonshire, but the majority of those may have been flats in this month."

The trend in West Dunbartonshire appeared to lie opposite to that in the rest of the country according to the figures, with the average house price up by 3 per cent nationally on the same point last year, with experts attributing the rise to fall in housing stock to meet demand.

Mr Caldow agreed that the issues around lack of available stock was also a problem on the ground in West Dunbartonshire.

He continued: "There is no doubt that there are fewer houses coming to the market to meet the demand and so the agents are all fighting for stock because we know that it will sell.

"There doesn't seem to be many problems in the local market, other than increasing the stock available to be sold."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are determined to increase and accelerate housing supply and will support local authorities and industry to deliver their housing priorities, with quality homes in mixed communities that fit local needs.

“We also want to help potential homeowners get on the housing ladder, and will continue to assist people into home ownership through a range of shared equity schemes including Help to Buy and Open Market Shared Equity.”