People in Sussex are turning to council housing because they can no longer afford to buy their own home.

FIgures released today show families are struggling to cope with the recession with property prices outstripping income.

A report by the National Housing Federation showed the average cost of a house is almost 13 times the average annual salary of people living in Brighton and Hove.

The average house in the city costs £268,246, which is 12.6 times the average income of £21,278. Even the cheapest quarter of the city's homes cost roughly £175,000.

City leaders said they were looking to expand Brighton’s housing stock as the lists for council housing continues to grow.

The waiting list for council housing has grown 157% in the last five years.

Warren Finney, South East regional manager for the National Housing Federation said: “Given the current state of the economy, where we are seeing increasing unemployment and repossessions, combined with a growing population and rises in overcrowding, home ownership’s just a dream for thousands of low-to-middle income households in Sussex.”