First there was the weather. Then there were leaves on the line. Now the general election has joined the lexicon of unconvincing business excuses as estate agents struggle to explain the lull in the housing market.

An array of firms has blamed the election for the difficulties; most recently Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agents. The group this week said sales were down by almost 30 per cent on last year, partly because of the uncertainty caused by the imminent poll.