New call for affordable housing

Tynedale emerged as the sixth most expensive at £237,000.

Berwick MP Alan Beith said it was a question of supply and demand.

He said: "It (the study) reflects the fact that Tynedale and Castle Morpeth are very attractive areas in reach of the city. Prices reflect the demand - it's an unavoidable reality.

"The affordability gap with local wages is even higher in Berwick and north Northumberland where average wages are lower and house prices are not so high. The need for social rented housing is particularly strong and in the Castle Morpeth area, the greatest housing need is to the west of Morpeth."

Of all the rural local authorities, Tynedale has the 10th lowest percentage of first-time buyers making up the housing market, at 17%. An 18% share of the housing market in Castle Morpeth is made up of first-time buyers, while the figure is 29% in the Wear Valley.

Nic Best, regional policy officer for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said efforts were needed to protect rural communities.

"It's about maintaining viable local communities. If we want these communities to survive, we need to make affordable housing available."

In Castle Morpeth, the average house price is more than seven times the average local annual wages while buying a house in Tynedale would cost around six-and-a-half years' worth of local wages.