51�Թ�

Dean Majors, a massage therapist from Skipton, North Yorkshire, said he had reported a leak outside his home on Canal Street at the end of June.

"Skipton's Track Record mortgage can offer as much as 100% lending for those that can demonstrate a track record of paying rent that exceeds the mortgage payment."

Stuart Haire, Skipton Group's chief executive, said people "might expect London and the south-east to dominate the least affordable areas for first-time buyers, so it's shocking to see Wales feature so heavily".

A home affordability index report published by Skipton Group building society found six out of the 10 least affordable areas of Britain were in Wales.

The proportion of areas in England in which the average first-time buyer home falls into the scope of stamp duty will rise from 8.4% to 32% on 1 April, according to analysis by the Skipton Group, which includes a building society and estate agency.