FIRST-TIME home buyers now need an annual income of £31,000 to buy the cheapest house in Swindon.

And buying an average priced home in the town requires a joint income of more than £44,000.

The figures have been revealed as Swindon Council announces new measures to help families get on the housing ladder.

These include shared council/private ownership schemes and the construction of new affordable houses

According to council figures house prices continue to rocket upwards in Swindon.

In some areas of town prices are thought to have risen by as much as 15 per cent in three months.

According to estate agents there are only one third of the properties on the market as there were a year ago and this is helping to push prices upward.

The latest figures from the Land Registry put the price of the average home in Swindon at £115,989.

One of the cheapest homes on the market a former council flat in Penhill would currently fetch £78,950.

Swindon Council is implementing a number of central Government-funded initiatives to try to help those who are not yet on the housing ladder.

These include shared ownership, where the council buys 50 per cent of the house and leases it back to the home-owner. This enables someone to buy a £100,000 house for what a £75,000 mortgage would normally cost.

Another scheme is re-sale covenant, where the council buys 30 per cent of the equity and is repaid when the property is sold.

Priority for these schemes is given to existing council tenants and to key workers such as teachers, nurses and social workers.

But private sector employees on low incomes may also be eligible.

Next year the council is planning to provide 53 new affordable flats at the New College site which will be sold under a shared ownership scheme.

Swindon Council housing officer Alan Wylde said: "The provision of affordable home ownership can allow households a settled way of life to assist, for example, with employment prospects, educational and training opportunities and improving health.

"Furthermore, this will often result in the release of rented affordable housing units for letting to those in the greatest housing need."

Mark just cannot afford his own home

Probationary firefighter Mark Truckle, 29, earns £17,900 a year so he can't afford to buy a house anywhere in Swindon.

But because of his job he needs to live within one mile of Westlea fire station.

For the last five months he has been sleeping on a sofa-bed at the fire station on the nights when he is on call. Even when he qualifies, his £21,000-a-year salary falls a long way short of the amount needed to buy a house in the Westlea area.

He said: "The fire brigade doesn't have a problem with me staying at the station but they are concerned about my health.

"Being here on your own every night is enough to send you mad.

"The housing situation is a worry because I don't know what's coming around the corner.

"I'm relying on somebody else to assist me in some shape or form. At the moment I'm okay but at 29 years old I feel I ought to be on the property ladder but I don't know how I am going to achieve that."