Young people must borrow 11 times their salary to afford a home in Sussex, according to a new report.

Booming house prices have put the dream of home ownership out of reach for first-time buyers.

Most estate agents will only let buyers borrow a maximum of four times their income.

Research published today by the National Housing Federation (NHF) has revealed a serious cause of concern for 21 to 29-year-olds.

The average price of a house in Brighton and Hove is now more than £160,000, up from £90,000 in 1997.

Mortgage companies would only lend that amount to someone earning more than £40,000 a year.

The average 24-year-old in the city earns about £13,500 a shortfall of £26,000. And they would need to stump up a deposit of more than £8,000.

Even 29-year-olds would need to borrow eight times their income.

The NHF says many young people face lower standards of housing, expensive rents and a lack of economic mobility.

It says young people are instead turning to alternative ways of buying to get out of the property trap.

Mandy Murphy, 32, a social worker from Brighton, could not afford a home until Moat Housing Group came to her rescue.

It came up with a package that enabled her to buy 65 per cent of the equity on a two-bedroom flat. The rest is payable when the property is sold.

Nicola Thorpe, a primary school teacher from Crowborough, found it impossible to buy property as a single mother and was paying exorbitant rent.

On advice from a friend, she secured a shared ownership scheme, which splits the cost of the property with another buyer.

Simon Francis, head of residential sales at the Hove office of Clifford Dann estate agents, said:

"I think a lot of youngsters have sat down and made the decision to shelve the idea of buying and are moving in with their boyfriends and girlfriends."

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: "The council is continuing to create tailor-made initiatives to benefit the housing situation in the city.

"We are working in partnership with key housing associations to develop strategies to increase affordable lower cost homes for local people."