House prices in Hartlepool, Redcar & Cleveland and Blackpool are lower than they were ten years ago. The average home in Hartlepool was £115,350 ten years ago, but now it's 8 per cent cheaper at £106,381. Redcar & Cleveland and Blackpool have seen prices fall too over the decade, although by a smaller 1 per cent and 0.4 per cent respectively to £120,489 and £105,322.

There is a chill in the air that only snuggling down at home in front of a warm fire will resolve. And while woodburners are still fantastically popular - more than one million UK homes use wood-burning stoves and fireplaces, according to the Stove Industry Alliance - there has been a surge in those seeking eco-friendly substitutes. As a result, the designs and technology behind electric, gas and bioethanol fires - which burn renewable fuel - have improved drastically.

While the property industry cautiously welcomed Boris Johnson's proposal to offer cheap first homes to local people, questions have been raised over how this could actually work. The plan could involve replacing the existing Help to Buy scheme, but experts have asked how developers would be convinced to sell homes with 30 per cent off the market price, who would pay for the subsidy, and who counts as a local buyer?

For all the confidence-boosting talk of a Boris bounce for the economy, shares, and the property market, it is the pound that tells the real story. What we are seeing is that businesses and investors like the certainty that a government with an 80 seat majority and (in theory) no election due for another five years brings. However, they also recognise that Britain isn't out of the woods yet.

Households with Amazon Echo's, a Google Home or any other smart devices need to be aware that they could be compromised, leaving their personal data and privacy at risk, according to Action Fraud. The fear of having their data stolen is already an obstacle to the market with 22 per cent of people saying privacy concerns is one reason they have not got a smart device, according to a study by Pricewaterhousecooper (PWC).

There are a whole host of savings accounts out there making picking the right one for you a confusing task. In our guide to the best savings account for you, we help you narrow down your choices and teach you the tricks of the trade to getting the best rate to grow your nest egg.

Data from last year shows that 1.5m vehicles were MOT tested last December. Of these, 385,859 were late, meaning a quarter were being used on the road illegally and risking £1k fines. With the AA estimating there will be almost 143m car journeys on the road over Christmas, the DVSA has called for motorists to check if their motor has an assessment due and to make simple checks to their vehicles.

Neil Woodford's smaller fund Woodford Income Focus will be managed by Aberdeen Standard Investments, its administrators have announced. The £270million fund, which was suspended in October after the Woodford quit before he could be fired, is expected to reopen in February under the name ASI Income Focus Fund. It will be managed by Charles Luke and Thomas Moore, who will be supported by a 16-strong UK equity team led by Andrew Millington.

In a trading update on Friday, it also marginally trimmed back its forecast for quarterly oil production sales and said it has seen "marginally lower" margins in it chemicals business. Shell did not disclose the specific cause of the impairment, although it comes after oil and gas rivals including BP and Chevron have written down billions of dollars-worth of shale assets in recent months. The company also said its 2019 cash capital expenditure is expected to be at the lower end of its forecasts, having predicted a range of $24billion to $29billion (£18.4 billion to £22.2 billion).

Prior to the EU referendum, the annual growth rate of property prices was more than 8 per cent. It has steadily declined ever since: the latest figures show prices rose by just 1.3 per cent in the year to September. Both buyers and sellers have been reluctant to make a move and homes for sale have dwindled. It is hoped the emphatic Conservative general election majority could now herald a clear path forward, whether you like its direction or not. Estate agents have certainly tried to whip up some excitement, but others suggest they are getting ahead of themselves.

On September 5, I tried to buy Premium Bonds for my new granddaughter. I went online, filled out the forms and paid by debit card. I was then asked to upload documents relating to the child's birth, which obviously I did not have. My son and his wife, who have the documents, both live an hour's drive away. In addition, I am 76 and, while I have some computer skills, I have no idea how to 'upload' anything.

Savers will be rewarded with just 20p for every £100 they put into a cash Isa in 2019, our research shows. The worst offenders are the Halifax Instant Isa Saver and Santander Easy Isa accounts which both pay paltry interest of 0.2 per cent. Those savers who diligently put aside the full annual cash Isa allowance of £20,000 over the past 12 months will be paid just £40 interest.

How should investors react? One area tipped to shine is small and medium-sized British companies serving a UK customer base. Investors have shied away from such firms due to Brexit concerns and share prices were battered as a result. Now the path to Brexit is clearer, this sector could thrive.

The department store launched the service in 2017 and it is now available in locations across the South East including Hampshire, Surrey, Kent and East and West Sussex after previously being available in Essex, London, Berkshire and Hertfordshire. However, John Lewis isn't stopping there and has said it is hoping to expand to even more locations across the country.

TSB has handed some of its customers who were caught up in its IT meltdown in April 2018 an early Christmas present in the form of more compensation. Several customers of the bank reported online to having received letters telling them they were entitled to payouts, despite them having already received compensation several months ago.

The wealthy western world's population is ageing and medicine is changing fast. Biotechnology lies at the intersection of this growing need for healthcare and treatments that are tailored to patients, such as immunotherapy, rather than taking a traditional one size fits all approach. Ailsa Craig, of International Biotechnology Trust, explains how it invests.

Premium vehicles being stolen by thieves infiltrating keyless systems are being sold for between £1,000 and £3,000 to criminal networks that specialise in exporting or dismantling cars for parts. The Audi A1 (top right) has a black market value of just £1,000 while pricey Range Rovers (middle right) - worth in excess of £80,000 new - are being sold on for £2,000. Vehicle protection and management technology provider AX says the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (bottom right) is being handed over by thieves for as little as £3,000.

I have multiple pension pots. I am 52 and plan to retire at 55, in summer 2022. I am in receipt of a Royal Air Force pension and along with that I have four other pensions. My question is can I take the 25 per cent lump sum from all pensions at the same time, and then draw down each pension pot one at a time starting with the pot with the lowest amount in it? Or should I take the lump sum from pot one and draw it down, then move on to pot two and so on?

Cash Isa accounts have been somewhat ignored by savers in recent years, but they are an essential savings tool that shouldn't be disregarded, especially for those who have built up a tidy nest egg. Here's everything you need to know, from why they are still worth opening after the introduction of the personal savings allowance, to the deals that make Isa saving more flexible.

We have teamed up with the AA to identify which routes will be worst impacted on the busiest days from Thursday 19 December to a week later on Boxing Day. With Sunday 22 December predicted to not be too busy, we have an exclusive rundown of the Christmas congested routes over the festive week.

Move over cute cats, video gamers and make-up experts: the next (and unlikely) stars of YouTube could be property landlords. While investing in property might not be as hot a subject as the latest Fortnite hacks or how to clean your house, there is a growing audience of people who want to watch videos about buy-to-let mortgages, how to vet a lettings agent, landlord taxes and bridging finance. Vanessa Warwick and Nick Tadd (pictured) have 10,000 YouTube subscribers.

On Friday, we asked a panel of leading investment experts for their opinions - including details of any investment funds or stock market-listed investment trusts that might give investors the best chance to maximise returns over the next five years. They are not recommendations, nor endorsed by us, just good ideas from people who know what they are talking about. Funds or trusts that could form part of a broadly diversified investment portfolio - and I can't stress the importance of diversification enough.

The amount you can save into a pension ultimately depends on what you can afford - but the longer you leave it the more you will need to save. We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.