RECORD house prices revealed yesterday are being pushed up by an increasing lack of social housing and scarcity of truly affordable homes, say campaigners.

The average cost of a house is now £286,000 after rising by 6.1 per cent in the 12 months to September this year, according to Office of National Statistics data.

Meanwhile, average prices in London increased by 7.2 per cent to an eye-watering record high of £531,000.