Public sector workers such as police, teachers, nurses and firemen cannot afford to buy property in two-thirds of UK towns, the Halifax bank has said.
Property is most unaffordable for those in London and south-east England.
But rising prices in northern England, the South West, Midlands and Scotland are putting home ownership out of the grasp of such workers, it added.
Halifax arrived at its conclusions by dividing average regional property prices by average annual wages.
Out of 519 towns surveyed by the Halifax, 339 (65%) were deemed unaffordable.
It is not just key workers, it's getting to the stage where only the elite will be able to afford a house.
