The Nationwide has revealed house prices ended 2005 up 3% on the previous year. Aberdeen enjoyed the biggest price rises according to the building society with an increase of 17.3% to £141.50. Other winners were Manchester where prices leapt 12% and Plymouth, 11.4%. Central London saw rises of 2.4%. The biggest losers were in the North East of England where prices plunged 12.6% in the city of Durham and 10% in Sedgefield. A spokeswoman for the Nationwide said it believed the market in 2006 would remain stable: “We expect the rate of house price growth across the UK to differ according to the local economic fundamentals, particularly the labour market. However, we expect that they will all move within a broad range of –2% to +5%.” Guardian