LONDON (MarketWatch) -- British house prices continued to slide in March and are likely to continue moving lower due to the recession and credit crunch, despite improvements in affordability, mortgage lender Halifax said Friday in its monthly housing report. The average U.K. house price declined 1.9% in March to 157,326 pounds ($231,866). In the three months ending in March, the average price was down 17.5% compared to the same period last year. Halifax says quarterly year-on-year figures provide a better picture of underlying trends. The monthly drop contradicted an unexpected 0.9% monthly rise reported by mortgage lender Nationwide on Thursday. The Halifax and Nationwide surveys are among the most closely watched gauges of the British housing market. http://www.marketwatch.com/news/sto...7F-C4F7-481D-B60B-26A3C33F4E05}&dist=hplatest