UK lenders approve 65,945 mortgages in April, Bank of England data shows

LONDON, June 2 (Reuters) - The number of ​mortgages approved ‌by British lenders for house purchases ⁠rose to a 15-month high of ⁠65,945 in ​April from 63,979 in March, according to Bank of England data on Tuesday that ​also ‌showed consumer credit grew faster than expected.

April's approvals were well above the 62,000 median forecast in a Reuters ​poll of economists.

Net unsecured lending to ‌consumers rose by £1.859 billion ($2.50 billion), higher than economists' forecast ‌of a £1.7 billion increase though just below March's £1.904 billion rise.

Weaker consumer sentiment and rising ​mortgage rates since the start of the Iran ‌war in late February have caused lenders like Nationwide Building Society to report ⁠the first ⁠monthly fall in house prices ‌since December in May.

Figures from the Royal ​Institution ​of Chartered Surveyors also showed ‌drops in prices and buyer demand in April. ($1 = 0.7427 pounds) (Reporting by Suban Abdulla; editing by David Milliken)