Charity's survey claims it can take up to 18 years to get on to the housing ladder in Brighton

Housing charity Shelter said couples with a child looking to climb on to the housing ladder can expect to wait 18 and a half years before they can afford to do so.

According to the house price index published by Nationwide, the average price tag in Brighton and Hove is now £394,755 – an increase of more than 48% over the past ten years.

Jason Brand, director of Brand Vaughn Estate Agents in Brighton, said: “There is this horrible statistic going around that the average age of a first time buyer is around 40 years of age.

“Whilst mortgage approvals are relatively low the number of first time buyers is actually going up because one way or another they are finding a deposit.

“Many people have been skipping their first property, such as a one-bed flat, and going straight to a house or a larger property.”

He added: “Brighton does need more properties but that is one of the things we suffer as we have a lack of natural expansion with the South Downs on one side and the sea on the other.

“There is not enough housing to cater for the young demand but at the end of the day the Brighton market is like the central London market.”

The charity calculated the 18 and a half year figure by working out 20% (the supposed amount someone would save) of the average salary for someone aged 22 to 29 in Brighton and Hove. They then calculated how long it would take them to buy a property that is 75% of the average local market price.

Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: “Parents are right to be worried. The reality is that unless we get a grip on the housing shortage soon, children today could spend decades paying out dead money in expensive rents, or living at home well into adulthood with little hope of planning for their own families.

He added: “The only way to make sure young people have a hope of a home of their own is for politicians to roll up their sleeves and commit to building enough truly affordable homes.”