The number of homes sold in London’s most expensive postcodes dipped by 3.6% last year.

That’s according to new figures from property data provider Lonres.

Transactions were down by 3.6% in 2017, as compared to the year before, Lonres numbers suggested.

The drop in activity for homes priced below £2m was particularly marked, it said.

The number of viewings on properties in “prime” London increased, as did the amount of time a property spent on the market before finding a buyer.

The property data provider describes the prime London market as stretching from Kensington and Mayfair in the centre of the capital to Hampstead in the north and Clapham in the south.

Meanwhile, around 60% more properties were withdrawn from the market than in the previous year.

Lonres said the most common reason for taking a home off the market was an inability to reach a price that suited home owners.

It is expected to release more data on Thursday this week.