HOPEFUL first time buyers in the Cumberland council area have shared their feelings about getting on the property ladder amid rising prices.

New data has revealed that the average price of a property for a first time buyer in the Cumberland council area is around £139,519.

This would put a 5 per cent deposit at £6,976, or a 10 per cent deposit at £13,952.

Areas in west Cumbria such as Whitehaven and Workington have listings for two bedroom properties which are closer to the average price.

However, searches of popular areas of the Lake District such as Keswick, or even of Carlisle, show more expensive properties which may bring the average up.

For first time buyers in the area, trying to get on the property ladder is continuing to get harder. One, who did not wish to be named, said: "There is so much pressure to become homeowners."

Another said: "As a 21-year-old I can’t see myself owning a house for a long time. I wish there was more help available."

One person said: “Learning about saving and getting onto the property ladder is not something that was offered in education, and I believe it would have been helpful.”

Another person who is trying to get on the ladder said: "With the way house prices and deposits are rising, I get more nervous each day about trying to get myself on the property ladder.

"I understand that our house prices are no way near the same as some of the numbers you see down south.

"I also understand that to get a house you need to make sacrifices in order to save money. But people talk about the younger generation using Netflix or getting a hot drink from time-to-time but these house prices do not contend with the price of a flat white.

"As young people, I feel like we cannot enjoy any of the luxuries of living whilst wanting a house without being ridiculed by some people in generations who never had to compete with the prices we are seeing today."

A recent first-time-buyer said: "I work hard each day. I do not own an extravagant car, I don't spend beyond my means and I used a Help to Buy ISA... but it would still have taken me so long to save for a deposit for a house without help from my parents."

As a whole, Cumberland's house and deposit prices for first time buyers fall at the lower end of the scale. Kensington and Chelsea properties have an average price of £1,033,303, while Hammersmith and Fulham have an average price of £626,289.

However, Cumberland's price are not the lowest in the country. For example, Blackburn with Darwen's average price is £125,117; Blackpool is £120,837; Burnley is £93,085; the city of Dundee is £116, 683; and County Durham is £114,733.