LONDON (Reuters) - House prices in England and Wales rose by an annual 1.8 percent in April, their fastest pace of increase since January 2008, property data company Hometrack said on yesterday.

But monthly house price growth slowed to 0.2 percent in April from 0.3 percent in March on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, according to Hometrack's monthly survey of estimates of realistic selling prices from estate agents and surveyors.

This monthly rise was driven by a 0.6 percent increase in London, whereas prices in other regions were more typically flat or up by just 0.1 percent. Yorkshire and Humberside in northern England recorded a 0.1 percent price fall.