The average house in Surrey now costs more than 15 TIMES the average salary, according to official government data.

The statistics will come as a blow to first-time buyers, as the dream of buying a home seems even further out of reach.

Across England, the median house price was 7.6 times higher than the median wage last year – up from 7.3 times in 2014, and just 6.9 in 2013.

But Surrey's residents have faced an even bigger spike in the last couple of years.

In Elmbridge, the average house price was 15.5 times higher than the average salary in 2015, up from 14.6 times in 2014.

And in Epsom and Ewell borough, the ratio is 15.3 - up from 13.6 the previous year.

Spelthorne came bottom of the list, making it the most affordable part of Surrey, but average house prices were still 9.9 times the average income last year.

The data was released by the Department for Communities and Local Government on Thursday (July 14).

The figures suggest the banking crash did little to reverse the longer-term trend making it harder and higher for people to buy a home.

As recently as 1997, the average house price was just 3.5 times higher than the average salary across England as a whole.

Those looking to move into the capital may want to re-assess their budget, as prices in parts of London have increased even more dramatically.

In Kensington, Chelsea, Westminster, Hammersmith, Fulham and Camden, the median house price is more than TWENTY times the median wage.

Traditionally, mortgage lenders were believed to offer a maximum of around three times a person’s salary, but during the 2000s that rose to as high as six times.

Lenders have since moved away from strict salary multiples, to look much more closely at an individual person or family’s incomings and outgoings.

Average house price X average salary

www.getsurrey.co.uk