The mortgage lender Halifax said the average UK house price of £139,716 was now almost six times higher than the average nurse's salary of £24,000.
Police officers were priced out of the market in 63 per cent of towns, while property was unaffordable for teachers in 62 per cent.
Unsurprisingly the problem is worse in London, where the average cost of a property is £232,421, the equivalent to 8.21 times a nurse's salary and 6.79 times a teacher's.
North
But although property remained largely affordable in the North, soaring house prices last year stretched the ratio of house prices to earnings.
The North has seen the price of a home rising from 3.41 times a nurse's pay in 2002 to 4.41 now, while police officers will need a mortgage of 3.54 times their salary, compared with 2.84 times 12 months earlier
Shane O'Riordain, general manager of Group Economics at Halifax, said: "Buying a home is out of reach for an increasing number of key workers across the country.
"In regions where affordability is an issue the recruitment and retention of key public sector workers will become more and more of a problem."
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What about shop workers, hairdressers, cleaners, hotel workers, restaurant staff, etc., etc., are these not "key workers"; can a city manage without them? All low paid workers are finding it hard to find accommodation, and all low paid workers contribution to society is important, it is not just a problem for nurses and police force staff.
I whole heartedly agree with Steve Pughs comments regarding key workers. Nurses,Police and Teachers are always put into the limelight as underpaid they are paid double the wage some workers are paid, how are these less fortunate people expected to manage the first steps onto the housing market ladder earning B#10.000 let alone B#24.000 per annum.
I am about to start a social work job and before that studied for 7 years, yet I cannot afford a house. my partner (a student), our young child and myself are stuck in a small privatly rented flat. There are very few local authority houses unless you want to live n less desirable area. You have to wait years to get a house in south mcr now (if ever). So if I cant get a house in a half decent area, what about those in lesser paid jobs than me? and anyway, why should key worker homes be just for homes in the south, what about the north west where house prices have rose so dramatically?as social workers are in such demand in Manchester, why is there not key worker accomodation for them and other key wkrs. but them again, what about other workers not classed as 'key workers'? is there going to be an extreme of haves and have nots with all the have nots squeezed into non desirable areas on a bigger scale than there already is?
I agree with Karen, there is a desperate need for keyworker housing in the north. I will qualify as a teacher in summer and from september will be teaching in Manchester. I recently e-mailed Manchester City Council to ask what accommodation solutions they can offer for key workers. The answer? NOTHING! there are a few schemes but these are private. Shouldnt the Council be looking after it's Key Workers?
I moved to Salford last year to begin my job as a teacher in a rough Manchester school. I thought all my Christmases had come at once when I found smart looking house in my price range. Since moving here I have spent over B#1000 in insurance excesses alone, following various thefts and vandalism to my property. Low paid key workers can get on the housing ladder quite easilly, but only by moving to places like this one.