HOUSE prices in the South Hams are more than 14 times the average salary, according to the latest figures.

The average monthly cost of renting in the district now stands at £767, swallowing up around 35 per cent of local incomes.

A report providing local data on the housing market in the South West shows the average house price in the South Hams is now £336,784. And households would need a pay rise of over £50,000 to afford the average home in the South Hams.

Ivybridge West Conservative district councillor Mike Saltern said: ‘The situation has always been such in the South Hams - it is unacceptable for local people wishing to get on the housing ladder.

‘The problem is almost impossible for our young people starting out in life.

‘The land prices and shortage of land aggravates the situation and second homes are an obstruction to local people getting on the housing ladder and many people face a lifetime of rented accommodation.’

South Hams Council has already said it will support any town or parish in the district that votes to crack down on second home ownership - a trend swamping some local communities and hiking house prices out of the reach of local people.

The Home Truth report finds that house prices in rural areas are over £6,500 higher than in urban areas. Incomes in these areas are lower, adding significant pressures on the finances of those living in rural areas.

The report highlights that more than one in five second homes in England are found in the South West. Some 3,995 second homes are in the South Hams.

It says we aren’t building enough homes in the region. There are 21,000 new households starting each year but less than 19,000 homes were built in 2015.

Cllr Saltern said: ‘There is a very small amount of second homes in Ivybridge, but it is a much bigger problem across the South Hams.

‘As for a ban, it probably isn’t achievable or practical in relation to existing properties. South Hams Council has stated it will support parishes who wish to make a case against second homes in their neighbourhood plans.

‘It is argued by some that the economy does benefit from second homeowners, for example local tradespeople who work on their properties and people who look after them while they’re away.

‘But it does become difficult to justify in the face of these figures.’

Last year there were over 4,800 housing association affordable homes in the South Hams and 217 long term empty homes in the district, according to the figures.

In 2016, housing associations in the South West built over 3,000 new homes and started building over 3,000 more - over half of which were funded without government investment.