House prices in England and Wales fell in April at their fastest annual pace in 18 months and are likely to slip further this year on fears about the economic outlook, Hometrack said yesterday. The property data firm's monthly survey showed prices were 3.3 percent down in April compared with a year ago, the biggest decline since October 2009, when Britain was emerging from recession. Stronger demand left prices unchanged on the month, ending a nine-month run of falls. However, Hometrack said the pick-up in demand was likely to fade during the rest of the year as public spending cuts, tax rises and waning consumer confidence take their toll. The proportion of the asking price that sellers received in April fell to 92.6 percent from 92.7 percent, in what could be an early sign of buyers' increasing power. The number of new properties listed for sale rose in April by 5.5 percent, compared with 5.2 percent in the previous month. New buyers registered with estate agents rose by 2.8 percent in April, down from March's 4.2 percent increase.