For those people who have paid or nearly paid their mortgage, the rise in house prices may be good news.

But for thousands of others trying to get on the property ladder, the outlook is grim.

A survey today shows that nearly 90 per cent of single people and more than half of couples under the age of 40 in Oxfordshire cannot afford to buy a home.

With house prices in the county now more than four times average incomes, first-time buyers have been pushed out of the market.

We knew the situation was bad, but this survey suggests that it is worse than we thought.

The consequences are dire not only for families but for employers, particularly those in the public sector.

As we have already seen, many key workers, such as nurses, teachers and police officers, have left the county, and it has been difficult to recruit replacements. That trend is likely to continue.

The survey shows that Oxfordshire needs more affordable housing, and gives strong support to the campaign that the Government should extend weighting allowances to offset the high cost of living.