YOUNG professionals have been contacting the Journal complaining about the high cost of buying property in Salisbury.

Last week, we featured young couple Debbie Greenwood and Michael Winters, who are moving to Derbyshire in a desperate attempt to buy their first home, having failed to find anything they could afford in Salisbury.

It seems the pair are not alone, with dozens of potential first-time buyers in the same position and being forced to look elsewhere.

One Salisbury worker and her fianc, who asked to remain anonymous, say they have no choice but to move away from their beloved home town.

Low wages mean they have no chance of climbing on to the housing ladder and, despite having a large deposit, they cannot get a big enough mortgage to afford even the smallest of properties.

Although a handful of lenders can help, the Salisbury woman said the repayments would be so huge that they would not be able to buy food.

"It breaks my heart thinking we may have to move away from here," she said.

"We are both Salisbury-born and bred and have known all our friends since we were little children.

"The salaries in Salisbury are terrible.

"How are young people supposed to get ahead in life?

"If we move away, we shall never have enough to come home."

Another reader said the chance of owning his own home was becoming a distant prospect, as he has not managed to find anything affordable in the past six years.

He said: "Unless you are buying a home with another person and have a salary of about £30,000 or a large wadge of savings, you don't stand a chance.

"It was intriguing to read comments by Andrew Hodder, president of Salisbury and district chamber of commerce, who hopes that the Solstice Park development will alleviate the problems of low wages.

"It doesn't take an economist to work out that Mr Hodder's hopes are extremely naive.

"I'm sure Salisbury district council is doing very nicely out of it, as well.

"Perhaps with the revenue from Solstice Park, SDC will be able to initiate schemes for shared ownership and key workers."

We want to hear from young people who are finding it difficult to afford a property in the city. If you have a story to tell, contact gaetana.prassede@sali sburyjournal.co.uk.