Rent in Monmouthshire rose 7% over the past year, new figures show.

It comes as Propertymark, a membership organisation for estate agents, said rental supply must rise to meet the increasing demand.

Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics show the average private rent in Monmouthshire reached £956 per month in the year to April – up 7% from £894 a year prior.

It was also up 45% from an estimated £658 a month five years ago.

Rent Officers Wales, which is part of the Housing and Regeneration Division of the Government, collects prices from landlords and letting agents, with the aim to collect data for approximately 15% of the market.

Across Wales, the average rent was £795 – rising 9% from the year before.

Cardiff had the highest rental cost in the country at £1,114 per month, while the lowest was in Powys at £566.

In April, the average private rent in Great Britain was £1,346 per month. This was £92, or 7%, higher than 12 months ago.

Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said: "Overwhelming demand within the rental sector continues to influence price increases for those who rent."

He added: "We continue to witness, on average, around 10 applicants for every property available to rent and this is a situation that has broadly remained stagnated across the last five years.

"It is imperative that rental supply rises to meet the challenges of demand."

The figures also show the different costs for various homes in Monmouthshire, from £700 for a one-bed property to £1,459 for a home with four or more bedrooms in April.

Among the property types in the area: