DRASTIC measures will have to be taken if youngsters in West Somerset are ever to have a chance of getting on the housing ladder.

That's the stark warning from social housing provider Magna Housing Group, which has local headquarters in Williton.

Now, Magna has issued an urgent plea to anyone with land to get in touch.

The call from Magna has come on the back of a report published by the National Housing Federation, which claims a lack of affordable homes is resulting in a rapidly escalating housing crisis.

The report, South West Home Truths: The real cost of housing 2007-2012, shows that in 2005/06, the average house price of £210,841 in Somerset was 10.7 times the average income of £19,628.

It says the crisis is made worse by the continued growth of holiday homes, pointing out that the South West has the highest proportion of second homes in the UK.

Second homes make up around 5.6% of housing in West Somerset.

The figures show that affordability is going to worsen drastically as house prices across the South West are set to increase by a further 44% to an average of £316,000 by 2012.

Graham Colls, group chief executive of Magna Housing Group said: "Once upon a time, the housing problem affected other people. Now it affects everyone.

"The gap between supply and demand is huge and this report strongly suggests things will only get worse.

"We welcome the Government's recent announcement of more cash for housing. Magna West Somerset will put this together with its own resources of £3 million in new affordable homes and that is on top of £4 million we will spend looking after our existing 2,000 affordable homes in this area."

He added: "I invite anyone with land to contact us to see if we can build urgently-needed new affordable housing on it."

Derek Cash, of the National Housing Federation, said: "The South West is only building around 70% of the homes we need every year and only half of the social homes required.

"Local communities should support planning applications for new affordable housing schemes because this is the only way we are going to create sufficient housing to tackle the huge shortage."