Concerns about the welfare of young families have been raised after the average price increase on homes in parts of Elmbridge topped £209,000 in the last five years.

Figures from property website, Zoopla, show prices in areas such as East Molesey increased by more than £165,000 in the last five years, whilst prices increased by more than £209,000 in Cobham.

David Tipping of Cobham Heritage Trust said he fears for young members of society looking to get on the housing ladder.

He said: "I would hate to be a young person hoping to buy their own home. Somebody’s got to come up with a plan, we could have a massive housing crisis in this part of the country.

"We need to seriously think about building on brown-field sites and forget about the big mansions."

Figures from homeless charity, Shelter, show only 580 new homes were built in Surrey in 2014.

A spokesman from Molesey estate agents, Rawlinson & Webber, said: "Prices have definitely gone up in the south west London corridor in the last few years.

"It’s not surprising as it is a nice place to live. You’ve got the M3 nearby, you’ve got the parks, you’ve got the trains, you can’t really beat it."

Portfolio holder for housing and Cobham Fairmile councillor, James Browne, added: "In a way it is a compliment as Elmbridge is a lovely place to live and we do have a lot of families moving from London looking for a better quality of life. But it also means that it is harder for first time buyers.

"We've got our own scheme with Catalyst Housing Association where Elmbridge Council contributes to the cost of properties for first time buyers.

"The council is carrying out a review of it's own land for development and is looking into the current use of some industrial areas and car parks which could be used for new homes.

"At present, the council has a construction target of 75 affordable homes per year. We're always on the look out for new schemes and new opportunities to increase the number of homes in the borough."