RENTAL prices in south Essex have increased more than wages, according to new figures.

Data from Shelter shows that rental rates across England have increased significantly more than household incomes since 2011, with the housing charity calling on the Government to build more affordable homes to meet the growing need for reasonable rents.

In Southend, the average rental cost of a two-bedroom home increased 22 per cent between 2011 and 2017 – outpacing the growth in household income, which rose by just nine per cent.

In the 2017-18 financial year, the average monthly rent of a two-bedroom home in Southend cost £833.

Shelter has called on the Government to come up with a new plan for social housing, to ensure that people on low income jobs can find somewhere affordable to rent and reduce the competition in the private rented sector.

Rental properties in Basildon are becoming less affordable, as soaring rental costs have outpaced household income growth.

In Basildon, the average rental cost of a two-bedroom home increased 23 per cent between 2011 and 2017 – rising quicker than the household income, which rose by just 10 per cent.

The average rental cost of a two-bedroom home, in Rochford, increased by 19 per cent between 2011 and 2017 – this also outpaced the growth in household income, which rose by just four per cent.

Greg Beales, the campaign director at Shelter, said: "With this surge in private renters the housing market has shifted massively and yet as a country we’ve failed to respond.

“This has resulted in consecutive governments focusing on better-off home owners while not doing enough for hard-pressed renters.

“We need politicians of all parties to sit up and take notice of the rising numbers of renters, and ensure they're doing all they can to protect them.”

The situation was most pronounced in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, where rental prices increased by 42 per cent. The average salary, meanwhile, was up by just two per cent.

Shelter is a registered charity that campaigns to end homelessness and bad housing in England and Scotland.