A MUM-OF-THREE has spoken of her frustration at not being able to afford to buy her own home as new data reveals there are the most first-time buyers getting on the property ladder since 2007.

Elizabeth Kelly, 31, has spoken out after the Halifax research revealed that the average house deposit in the South East of England has risen by 173 per cent in the past decade to £47,472 - but the number of first time buyers currently getting on the property ladder is at a high.

Mrs Kelly, who rents a home in Carlingford Drive, in Westcliff, with her husband Martin and children George, two, Amelia, seven, and Dominic, 13, fears the family will never own their own home as they cannot save a deposit.

She said: “The thought of being able to afford a deposit is so far away I don’t think we will be able to ever afford it. Our rent is £950 a month so there is no way we can save for a deposit.”

The Halifax research claims the average house price in the South East has hit £272,777 while the average deposit is 17 per cent of the purchase price.

She added: “It’s frustrating as we can afford the mortgage payments - but we are paying more for our rent than my brother pays for his mortgage. But I’ve now got the mindset that the only way we will ever be able to own our own home is to win the lottery.”

But Martin Ellis, Housing Economist at Halifax, claims the number of buyers getting on the ladder exceeded 300,000 for the third year in succession.