First-time buyers are being faced with house prices which are almost ten times their earnings, it was revealed today.

Rocketing prices in the South-East mean property in Horsham is now 9.63 times the average local income, with houses costing £219,877 on average compared to wages of £22,838.

In Crawley, would-be buyers have to fork out 8.01 times their salary.

The Mid Sussex area as a whole ranks at 8.7, with average prices at £198,789 and earnings at £22,838.

The analysis by Barclays Private Clients, the wealth management arm of Barclays Bank, reveals the South-East has high property-to-income ratios compared with the rest of the country.

Thirty of the 37 boroughs in East and West Sussex, Kent and Surrey were above the national average of 5.98. Cheaper areas in East and West Sussex include Hastings, where the ratio is 5.03.

Andrew Pridell of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said: "House prices are expected to have risen between 25 and 30 per cent this year. We are now talking about prices being about seven times what they were in 1982 in the area."

He said buyers in Mid Sussex could expect to pay about £300,000 for a three-bedroom semi. For low-wage earners like teachers, on about £20,000 a year, this means property prices are well over ten times their earnings.

Mr Pridell said: "It's very difficult for people to get on to the property ladder. People either move to a cheaper part of the country or have to get their parents to help them."

He said there was a shortage of houses in the area, which was helping to push up prices.

More people are getting divorced, fewer families are living at home and people are living longer.

Meanwhile, the new houses needed to stop the shortage are not being built.

He said: "Being close to London also makes a difference as prices have rocketed there."

For a bargain property in Sussex, Mr Pridell advised house buyers to move east.

His tip for the next up-and-coming property areas were St Leonards and Hastings.

He said: "A nice converted flat in St Leonards costs between £70,000 and £80,000 but I would predict that area is going to flourish more and more."

Ken Roberts, local director of Black Horse Agencies in Horsham, said: "Supply and demand is the key factor.

"There's a strain on the market from people coming into the area from the Surrey borders.

"Good rail and road connections for commuters and good employment opportunities make Horsham a very nice place to live.

"There are is also still better value than many places in Surrey, but that has a knock on effect and because of the influx of buyers the gap is closing."

The lowest index score in England and Wales is also in the north-west in Burnley, Lancashire, where the average income is £20,467 and average property prices are £34,860, giving it an income/property index of 1.7.

The highest ratio in England and Wales is Kensington and Chelsea where property prices are now 18.18 times annual local incomes.