BOURNEMOUTH is one of the least affordable places to buy property in Britain, according to a new report calling for urgent action to tackle the country’s housing crisis.

The report, published by the charity Centre for Cities, lists the borough as the fifth least affordable town or city in comparison to income.

Oxford takes the top spot as the priciest place to purchase, followed by London, Cambridge and Brighton, respectively.

Andrew Carter, acting chief executive at Centre for Cities, said the “enormous gap between housing market supply and demand” is constraining local economies and hampering their ability to drive national growth.

He said: “It’s putting enormous cost of living pressures on the people who live there, as housing affordability plummets, and also businesses seeking to attract and retain quality staff.”

Calling for a “multi-pronged approach to freeing up land supply”, he added: “It’s time for real political leadership at all levels of government, so we can finally move forward towards rectifying this, once and for all.”