WEST DORSET is facing a housing crisis as the majority of homes are out of reach for first-time buyers, new research reveals.

Figures published by housing charity Shelter show just 26 properties (4.0 percent) in the whole of west Dorset are affordable for families who need at least two bedrooms.

Even worse is the amount of housing that is affordable for full-time working single people, as just 19 properties (2.9 per cent) in the district were classed as affordable for them, and only 65 properties (10.0 per cent) in west Dorset were affordable for couples.

As part of the 'Homes for our Children' report Shelter analysed prices of properties of properties for sale on property website Zoopla, comparing them with the mortgage an average first-time buyer family could afford.

To work out which homes were affordable for families, an ‘affordability threshold’ was applied by Shelter, showing how much an average first time buying family could borrow based on data published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Campbell Robb, Shelter's chief executive, said: “Nearly 95 per cent of homes on the market are off limits for a typical family in the South West, and this is nothing short of a scandal.

“Decades of failing to deliver the homes we need is leaving millions trapped in expensive and unstable private renting, or in their childhood bedrooms, with barely a hope of saving for a home of their own."

Rovarn Wickremasinghe, manager of Bridport's Citizens Advice Bureau, said: "Fundamentally there is not enough affordable housing.

"One result is that more pressure is put on the rental sector, it can be difficult to secure rental accommodation because of lack of availability or high rents and there are considerable waiting lists for social housing.

Clive Milone, Head of Housing for West District Council said: "The council is aware that housing is very expensive in west Dorset in comparison to local wages and that it is difficult for local young people to secure housing that they can afford.

"Through the Local Plan process, the council is taking a strategic approach to ensure a continuing land supply that will help to meet the changing demographic and social needs of the area.

"The council has worked hard to enable 100 affordable homes to be built in the past year and is committed to ensuring that 35% of new developments are provided as affordable homes and meet local needs."

The charity's 'affordability thresholds' in west Dorset for 22 to 29-year-old first-time buyers were outlined as follows:

- £125,684 for families (a couple with a child or children), with one working full-time and one part-time, both on median incomes

- £160,337 for couples without children, with both working full-time on median incomes

- £84, 015 for a single person working full-time on the median income

Any property above the price threshold in the relevant category was considered to be 'unaffordable'.