North Cornwall: The average house costs 14 times the average wage

The Halifax report said house prices in rural areas have risen faster than towns and cities in the past 10 years.

Chiltern, in Buckinghamshire, had the highest increase at 251%. Pendle, in Lancashire, had the lowest at 114%.

North Cornwall was the least affordable with Copeland in Cumbria the most affordable. The South Hams in Devon had the highest proportion of second homes.

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In North Cornwall where average earnings were �15,995, the average house price was almost 14 time more at �217,276.

The average house price in the countryside last year was �231,053 - an increase of 171% since 1994. In urban areas the cost of a home rose by 166% to �197,051.

Last year new buyers accounted for just 16% of house purchases, sparking fears about the impact on local communities.

Martin Ellis, a chief economist at the Halifax, said rural first-time buyers were in "serious decline".

The report said a surge in the number of second homes and a smaller amount of social housing contributed to the trend.

Mr Ellis said another factor was that more people were working from home which meant they could move from urban areas to the countryside.