HOUSE prices in Yorkshire rose again in April as the number of homes for sale fell , according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which has warned that the availability and affordability of homes is a 'national emergency'.

While 35 per cent more surveyors in the region saw prices rise ,the highest reading since last summer - up from 33 per cent in March and 28 per cent in February - new instructions slipped to a net balance of -39 per cent.

The number of second hand homes coming onto the market dropped in most parts of the country, including Yorkshire .

House prices rose across the country for the first time since August and 29 per cent of Yorkshire surveyors expect house prices to continue rising.

Demand for rented property fell slightly last month, but 30 per cent more regional surveyors expect the rental market to pick up again over the next quarter with rents expected to rise steadily .

Alex McNeil, of West Yorkshire agents Bramleys , which includes branches in Heckmondwike, Halifax and Mirfield, said: “Overall demand is satisfactory, particularly for new houses where the national builders are able to provide incentives. Demand for second hand stock is more fragmented and price sensitive.”

Jeremy Blackburn, policy chief, said: “The affordability and availability of homes in the UK is now a national emergency and addressing this crisis must be the priority for the new government. The last time we were building 300,000 homes was in 1963 under Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government, which utilised both public and private building.

“RICS calls for a coherent and coordinated house building strategy, across all tenures.

Introducing demand-side measures, such as extending ‘Right to Buy’, will not see the Conservatives deliver on their promise of a million homes by 2020.”