Winchester has cropped up in the top ten worst places to look for a home for first-time buyers.

According to the Halifax survey, the city comes seventh in a list of least affordable towns in Britain.

The average house price in Winchester has rocketed in recent years to £167, 321. But Winchester people are earning an average local salary of £27,175, freezing many right out of the market.

Since 1991, the survey found, the age of first-time buyers has jumped from 30 to 36 in the South East, as younger people simply cannot afford to get a foot on the property ladder.

Ronan Cousins, manager of Winchester's Morris Dibben, said: "I'm not at all surprised to see Winchester as one of the most expensive places for first-time buyers.

"To buy a two-bedroom house in Badger Farm is about £130,000, which is about as cheap as you get round here. First-time buyers have really been forced to go elsewhere, such as Southampton or Andover."

He also said cheap housing which does come onto the market is usually snapped up by investors and property developers before first-time buyers can drum up a deposit or sort out a mortgage.

Halifax compiled the survey by comparing average local income with the average price of a first-time home, using the difference between the two figures to create an affordability league.

With a five per cent deposit on the home and a mortgage value just over three times the income, the survey said Winchester buyers would need a salary of £48,909 to buy an average house.

The difference between this price and the actual average earning is £21,734, which means buyers must find a wealthy partner or generous family member to get a big enough mortgage.

The findings point towards the fact that many Winchester buyers are city workers who commute daily into London.

Winchester Housing Association chief executive, Peter Jones, said: "It's a characteristic of Winchester. There are many people who commute out of the city on a daily basis. Because of the particularly good travel links to London, Winchester prices will always be comparatively high, having a knock-on effect at the lower end of the market.

"The Housing Group, Winchester City Council and businesses located in Winchester recognise the problem and we are all doing as much as we can to try and increase the supply of housing for first-time buyers."

Estate agent, Mr Cousins, was also hopeful and said he believed house prices would stabilise in the near future.

"There's got to be an evening-out. This growth cannot be sustained, and it's difficult to predict but I would be surprised if it didn't happen this year."

In southern England, 133 of the 168 areas surveyed were out of reach of first-time buyers on average earnings.

Sevenoaks, in Kent, topped the least affordable list, with the average price of a first-time home now £216,566.