A survey by the National Housing Federation claims that it is easier to buy a house in London than it is in the south west.

While a person living in London has only to pay 7.04 times their annual income to purchase a property, most homebuyers in the west have to fork out 7.16 times their earnings.

For first-time buyers, the cheapest place to live in the west is Plymouth, followed by Swindon, where a property costs just over five times the average income.

According to the research, an average house in Swindon costs £140,000, whilst the average wage for people working here is £24,674.