The number of houses repossessed in the UK increased by 41 per cent in the first half of this year, according to data published yesterday.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders found that repossessions rose to 18,900 in the first half of 2008, up from 13,400 in the second half of last year. That is equivalent to 0.16 per cent of all mortgages and is the highest level of repossessions in more than a decade.