Teachers who are being driven out of expensive areas of Brighton and Hove are being offered cash incentives to stay.

Any teacher struggling to buy a flat or house in the city, where property prices are rocketing, will now be eligible for a loan to help cover the costs.

In a raft of initiatives drawn up by the Government and Brighton and Hove City Council, new low-cost homes in the city may also be set aside for teachers who want to rent property.

Brighton and Hove School Recruitment Partnership, which works with the council and Hays Education Personnel to recruit teachers, is establishing a house share forum, enabling teachers to share rented accommodation.

The group is also working with letting agencies in the hope of safeguarding low-cost properties for teachers.

Between September 2001 and July 2002, 30 city teachers left the profession. Of these, 13 per cent handed in their notice because they were unable to get on the property ladder.

Moat Housing is offering loans as part of the Government's Starter Home Initiative (SHI), which distributes money to key workers like teachers, nurses and police officers to help them get into the property market.

Last year, only teachers who had been in teaching posts prior to September 1999 and taught shortage subjects including maths, English and languages, were eligible to apply for the scheme.

From September this year, any teacher in a permanent post can apply.

Ruth Turner, 30, has been teaching for eight years and moved to Brighton from London to take up a post at Portslade Community College in September 2001.

She could not afford to buy a house, despite being deputy head of English, until she found out about SHI.

In June, Moat Housing loaned her £20,000 to help her buy a property in Walpole Terrace, Brighton, - 20 per cent of the value of the house.

When she sells her home, Moat will receive 20 per cent of the selling price.

She said: "There is a feeling among teachers they should be able to live where they want, or at least near their school. I have been very lucky as Moat were good to me."

Councillor Pat Hawkes, chairman of the council's children, families and schools committee, said: "With these initiatives, I feel we have created fantastic opportunities to help teachers who are looking to buy or rent accommodation."