Only three homes in the whole of the borough are affordable for a working family, according to new research from a housing charity.

The figures show that nearly 99 per cent of homes in Harrow are beyond the reach of the average working family looking to buy their first home.

The figures come from housing charity Shelter which looked at the asking prices for thousands of properties across London and compared them to the mortgage average families could afford.

Out of the 29,460 two bedroom properties on the market across the whole of London, only 86 were affordable for families - with only three available in Harrow.

The charity's chief executive Campbell Robb said: “When a family looking to buy their first home searches a whole town for a place to live and finds nothing they can afford, it's clear we’re not just facing a housing shortage any more, it’s a full-blown drought.

“As the pool of affordable properties shrinks ever smaller, thousands of people are being forced to wave goodbye to their dreams of a home of their own – even those who’ve been able to put aside a large deposit.

“Our failure to build more homes is leaving a whole generation of young people with no choice but to remain trapped in expensive and unstable private renting, or stuck in their childhood bedrooms for years to come, no matter how hard they work or save. 

“The only way to bring house prices back within reach is to fill the gap between the homes we have and the homes we need.”