Last week we reported how house prices in Kingston have leapfrogged those in Richmond and Wandsworth, according to recent figures.

While news that the average house price in Kingston is now £309,000 might delight homeowners, others are being priced out of the borough.

Jessica Flower, 24, a mum from Surbiton, who feels the property ladder is more elusive than ever, talks to reporter Simeon Brody.

What is your current housing situation?

We rent from a housing association which was given to us through the council. I live with my husband, Robert, a computer programmer and three-year-old daughter, Stephanie.

How do you feel about it?

It's a lovely flat and we could be a lot worse off but it's not ideal. Because it's quite small, if I wanted to extend the family there would not be enough space. We've got communal gardens but we are on the first floor so I can't just let Stephanie out to play, I have to go with her.

Why do you want to buy a home?

Things are so expensive these days that it's good to have an asset. We would like to buy a house to have some sort of security for my daughter and I.

Mortgage repayments are no more than rent so it's a bit silly for us to be paying all this rent when we could be buying somewhere.

How likely is it you will be able to buy a home?

It is very unlikely at the moment. The difficulty is saving for a deposit and also getting a mortgage. We have enough money to pay mortgage repayments but the highest mortgage we would be given is about £70,000, which is not anywhere near enough. Even if I went back to work full-time I would still find it extremely difficult to save for a deposit.

My husband earns about £24,000 but that's not enough these days, not on its own. I don't think there is any room for old fashioned families where one person wants to stay at home and look after the kids.

What will you do next?

We are going to write to all the housing associations that do shared ownership, which allows people to buy as much of a home as they can afford while paying rent for the remainder. But it's hard because so many people want to do it because they can't afford to buy.

I don't think there's any other way, not unless the Government comes up with the goods and helps people like us.

What do you think about people who are doing well from the housing boom?

Developers are making a lot of money because there aren't enough houses to go round. It's just a case of the rich getting richer and the normal people getting poorer, or just not getting anywhere.

When you watch home improvement shows on TV and you can't even afford to buy a house it's a bit depressing. Especially the one where they buy a second house in the country.

What is the answer?

Taxes on people who own more expensive houses, as well as making it harder for property developers to snatch all the sites and all the homes that people could buy.

The Government could help with more shared ownership and giving housing associations more stock.