The nation’s mortgage lenders are pressing Alistair Darling to step up government aid to homeowners struggling with their loan payments as they unveiled a series of voluntary measures aimed at limiting foreclosures.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders, whose members account for roughly 98 per cent of home loans in Britain, has written to the chancellor to underscore its view that the number of those facing the loss of their home is likely to rise, albeit from a very low level.