Prices never go down...at best they're static

After 10 years of living in London the prospect of owning their own home in the capital is as far away as ever for Dominic Ceraldi's family.

Despite having a good, well-paid job the 39-year-old - pictured left with his wife Paula and son Callum, six - has all but given up trying to achieve the dream for his family and their 18-year-old daughter Nicola.

Instead they are living in a three- bedroom housing association property in Silvertown, east London. Mr Ceraldi - who earns over £40,000 a year as a HR manager for Pimilico Plumbers - had been hoping for some break in London's house prices.

He said: "Unlike the rest of the country they never go down, at best they stay static. There's no way we could ever buy.

"I'm a bit disillusioned with the whole property market. I can be in a senior management job role, in a steady job with a good company and a decent salary and not be able to get on it. Boris Johnson came in and was saying let's get all the empty properties in London filled but that hasn't happened at all. It's the same, if not worse."

Mr Ceraldi, originally from Blackburn, Lancashire, said: "My dad comes from Italy and says that over there they have never been like that.

"In Italy people rent... but over here it is a bit of a stigma if you say you're living in a rented property."