The average worker will need a 150 percent pay rise to remain in some parts of the country, according to findings from a report published by the National Housing Federation last week.

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Parts of Rural England are amongst the least affordable places to live, according to a new report by the National Housing Federation, which works with regional housing trusts to campaign for better housing in the country. The Federation warned last week that people living and working in the countryside are being pushed out, as house prices in rural areas soar.

The Federation claimed the vogue for second and third homes are behind much of the increases in price, as well as contributing to the shifting demographic from rural regions to urban areas, meaning homes lie empty and populations become older and more vulnerable.

Whilst the situation in rural areas is forcing young workers and families out, the number of over 65s has risen 2.5 times faster than in towns and cities. The Federation warned that "Rural areas will struggle to support the aging population boom unless more affordable homes are built ensuring families and working people can keep communities alive."

Figures were released by the National Housing Federation to mark Rural Housing Week. They show that, on average, house prices in rural areas are 11 times higher than the local average salary, meaning potential homebuyers working in these areas would need to see wages rise by a staggering 150 percent to afford a home.

House prices in the most unaffordable areas can be as high as 20 times the average salary.

Workers in these areas have actually seen their wages rise at a slower rate than the rest of England in the last decade, by 21 percent compared to 24 percent in the rest of the country. This is compounding the cost of living crisis in the countryside.

Adding to housing woes in rural locations, a shortage of the right kind of properties is also pushing up prices.  The report warned that families are being pushed out of their local areas as more buyers seek second homes in desirable parts of the countryside, which, if left empty outside of tourist season, puts pressure on local economies. In some areas, like South Hams in Devon, as many as one in ten properties is a second home.

David Orr, National Housing Federation chief executive, commented, "The traditional picture of the English countryside is fast becoming extinct. We know how difficult many under 40s are finding it to afford a home in towns and cities, but it's becoming impossible for people to put down roots in our villages and market towns.

"The unaffordability crisis in rural areas is putting local shops pubs and schools at risk of closure and ageing populations are putting pressure on communities."

Orr claimed that building more affordable housing in small towns and villages could address the growing crisis, though he said, "We are not talking about concreting over the countryside."

Anti-poverty charities have suggested addressing the housing crisis by looking within the existing housing or building stock, particularly in green-belt or AONB areas, or taking measures to address growing inequality in the UK. Figures from the Equality Trust show that, "Out of the 30 OECD [Western] countries… the UK is the fourth most unequal" in terms of income diversity.