Over the last 12 months, house prices in Monmouthshire and Newport – the closest local authorities – have risen by 14% and 13.7%, respectively.

House prices in Torfaen – located 34 minutes from the bridge – have risen by 11.9%.

By contrast, house prices in the three English local authorities closest to the bridge – Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset – have risen by an average of just 3.1% in the same period.

The research also found that average house prices across the 10 local authorities in the South East of Wales were £161,948, almost 50% cheaper than the three local authorities closest to the bridge.

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The full results are:

Sam Mitchell, CEO at Housesimple.com, said: “The toll was always a massive barrier to attracting businesses and commuters across the bridge into Wales.

“It was a gravy train for the government, but a car crash for the local economy.

“Lifting the charge will lift a huge black cloud that has been hanging over the South East of Wales, which is set to benefit more than any other area.

“We are likely to see a rise in people relocating from England to Wales to take advantage of lower property prices, with the extra commuting time easily compensated by the savings they can make.”

The bridge is scheduled to go toll free from Monday 17^th December 2018.