First-time buyers face property lottery

First time house buyers in Herefordshire find it harder to get a foot on the property ladder than anywhere else in the country, according to latest research.

The report, by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, revealed young earners in Herefordshire were finding it extremely difficult to get their foot on the property ladder with their earnings not matching the price of houses.

More than half of the under 40-year-olds questioned said they could not afford a modest two-bedroom property compared to just 19% in Rugby.

The survey revealed that north Staffordshire was among the best places in the Midlands for affordable houses.

Key workers such as teachers and nurses in places like Bromsgrove and Solihull struggle to buy even starter homes.

Yet people from those professions with three years experience in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent can usually afford houses.