Quarter of homes above IHT threshold in 62 districts

There are 62 districts in which over a quarter of property sales were above the £600,000 inheritance tax threshold (ITH), new research has revealed.

A study by the HBOS, part of the Halifax group, has found that some 46 of the 62 postcode areas were in London.

The swanky SW1X area of Knightsbridge boasted the highest percentage of properties priced above the threshold, with 77 per cent of sales coming to over £600,000.

"There are still some parts of the UK where a significant proportion of households are vulnerable to paying inheritance tax based purely on the value of their own home despite the changes to inheritance tax announced earlier this month," said Halifax chief economist Martin Ellis.

He added: "Nearly all the areas with the most families at risk of having to paying inheritance tax are in London and the South East."

According to Halifax, in 2006 to 2007 an estimated 33,000 estates paid inheritance tax.