AS house prices continue to soar, many experts are warning the boom can't last for ever.

They fear a property crash of devastating proportions as price tags rocket at a rate that salaries can't keep up with.

First-time buyers are finding it almost impossible to get a foot on the ladder and a salary of £67,000 is now required to buy an average home in East Dorset.

But Chancellor Gordon Brown denies a price crash is on the horizon and claims there is still room for growth in the market.

So, who's telling the truth?

Is Gordon Brown in denial in the face of the highest British property prices in history? Or can the phenomenal growth in house prices be sustained?

The influential International Monetary Fund (IMF), has already warned that UK house prices are getting out of hand.

But, speaking at a weekend meeting of the IMF, Mr Brown insisted a crash is unlikely because mortgage payments are a much lower proportion of income than they were before the last crash.

"We have achieved a greater degree of stability in the economy," he said. "I am confident that, not only can we sustain it, but we can see growth and we can secure the benefits of the world upturn."

The early 1990s saw a price crash which left thousands of buyers trapped by negative equity.

Many lost their homes as interest rates soared and the value of property plummeted.

But Mr Brown said he is determined this will not happen again.

Here in Dorset, estate agents are hoping for a "soft landing" rather than the crash landing predicted by some.

"I think the increases will slow down but I can't see anything on the horizon that is going to lead to a crash," said Nigel Price, managing director of Goadsby and Harding Residential.

"There is currently good employment and low interest rates - people are going to buy property.

"We are at our busiest time of the year but I believe it will slow down later in the year, hopefully a soft landing."

Latest figures have revealed the average price of a detached house in Dorset is nearly £276,000. The price of a similar property in the south west region overall is £259,000 and, in the south east, a massive £330,000.

And Your Mortgage magazine predicts rises of 19 per cent in the Bournemouth area in the next four years.

"The IMF, like the Bank of England and almost everyone else, is right to be concerned about the sustainability of the house price boom," said Shadow Chancellor Oliver Letwin.

"The most worrying aspect is that this boom has encouraged a rise in household debt."

Even the usually upbeat building society bosses are starting to cast doubt on whether the boom can continue.

Woolwich and Barclays spokesman Andy Gray said house prices are way ahead of income and household bills will be stretched by higher council tax bills and rising interest rates.

"These factors combined will almost certainly dampen housing market activity," he said.

People who have recently purchased their first property will be understandably concerned as the confusion grows.

But for some, the prospect of a property crash is good news.

"I cannot afford to buy a property although I would love to have a mortgage and a place of my own," said Bournemouth resident Louise King.

"If there is a crash and the prices fall then I might stand a chance of buying my own home."