Owning a home has become virtually impossible for many public sector workers in the area.

That's according to research published today by the union Unison.

It says its findings indicate that getting a deposit together and obtaining a mortgage are often insurmountable hurdles for those living in the majority of local authority areas including Dorset.

The report, Priced Out, highlights how saving the money for a down payment on a property could take decades. This is based on first-time buyers saving £100 every month for a deposit.

The research focused on the salaries for employees in five jobs – an NHS cleaner, teaching assistant, librarian, nurse and police community support officer. It calculated what multiple of their annual income they would need to borrow for a mortgage once they had paid a deposit.

It would take an average of 26 years in the South West for public sector workers wanting to buy for the first time to save the necessary deposit.

Cotswold is the most expensive local authority area. It would take over 37 years to save for a deposit.

In west Dorset it would take 30 years and in Weymouth and Portland 24.

Given that the Bank of England’s maximum recommended lending limit is 4.5 times a person’s salary, Priced Out shows that a mortgage is completely unattainable for all five job categories in every local authority in the South West, says the report.

The report shows that the national housing outlook is bleak, with house prices predicted to grow faster than the wages until at least 2022.

Priced Out follows on from the union's report Nothing Going on But the Rent which highlighted the high cost of renting for public sector workers in England.

Unison South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “Owning a home is now little more than a pipe dream for most public sector workers.

“Deposits and mortgages are quite simply way out of reach, while the spiralling cost of renting is eating up a growing proportion of the take home pay of working people across Britain. Wage rises haven’t kept pace with soaring house prices and rents, and the situation looks set to worsen.

“The struggle for housing cuts across generations, jobs and regions. Employees are being forced to work further away from their jobs, and young people cannot afford to move out of the family home.

“The government has had more wake-up calls over the growing housing crisis than hot dinners. Decisive, creative and responsible action is needed now.”