HOUSE prices for first-time buyers in Carlisle were at their lowest for five years when compared with earnings.

Office for National Statistics and Halifax data shows the average house cost £136,499 last year, while average earnings were £34,820.

This equates to a price to earnings ratio of 3.9 ­— the lowest figure since 2015.

Carlisle was the 11th cheapest place for first-time buyers in the UK using the same metric.

Here are the cheapest areas:

Burnley - 3.1

East Ayrshire - 3.2

North Ayrshire - 3.2

Inverclyde - 3.4

West Dunbartonshire - 3.4

Renfrewshire - 3.5

South Lanarkshire - 3.6

Clackmannanshire - 3.6

North Lanarkshire - 3.6

North Down and Ards - 3.8

Middlesbrough - 3.9

Doncaster - 3.9

Fife Scotland - 3.9

Hyndburn - 3.9

Carlisle - 3.9

Falkirk Scotland - 4.0

County Durham - 4.0

Glasgow City - 4.1

South Ayrshire - 4.1

Barnsley - 4.1

Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said: “Housing is relatively affordable in much of Cumbria compared with many other parts of the UK.

“That’s good for young people looking to buy their first home and it’s good for businesses that need to attract new employees.

“Cumbria’s working-age population is shrinking so we need younger people to move here from other parts of the UK. Having affordable housing helps persuade them to come.

“However, while house prices are below the national average in Carlisle, West Cumbria and Barrow, the opposite is true in the Lake District and in much of South Lakeland and Eden outside the national park. Here, affordability ratios are as high as the South East. That drives young people away and creates difficulties for employers to recruit. We urgently need more affordable housing in these areas.”