New data on Friday showed a weakening housing market in which fewer people could afford to buy as prices fell last month and orders for mortgage repossessions rose to their highest level since 1993.

According to the latest FT/Acadametrics house price index, house prices in April fell 0.2 per cent while the March figure was revised downward to show a 0.2 per cent fall in the first back-to-back monthly reading of falling house prices since April 1995.