RYEDALE is one of the most expensive places to buy a house in the North of England.

The National Housing Federation found the average house price in the district for 2009 was £208,816, 11.7 times the average income of £17,800. Topping the list is Eden in Cumbria, where the average house price was 14.2 times the average income. Harrogate came third in the poll. At the other end of the scale the three most affordable areas in the North are Burnley, Sedgefield and Copeland, in West Cumbria.

Derek Long, National Housing Federation head of North region, said: “Owning a home in the North of England is becoming increasingly difficult. As the public sector cuts start to bite, more and more people will be looking for an affordable home to rent or buy.

“But there simply are not enough available – as the 600,000 people on the waiting list for affordable rented housing in the North demonstrates.

“So unless Father Christmas stuffed your stocking with £50 notes, 2011 will be another bleak year for people trying to get on the housing ladder.”

He said: “Housing associations across the North are working hard to help combat this housing crisis. But without the right levels of flexibility and investment things will get much worse for hundreds of thousands of individuals and families across the North.”