Edmonton MP Andy Love says there is a desperate need for more houses to be built in his constituency.

Figures revealed by the National House Building Council show that despite 155 homes being started in Edmonton in 2012 and 147 being begun in 2013, just 19 were started in the first three quarters of 2014.

This compares to a UK constituency average of 164 starts over the same nine-month period.

The MP said: “Rising levels of homelessness and repossessions and a desperate need for social housing locally tell us that we urgently need more new houses to be built, yet the construction industry is still struggling in the hard economic times.

“The Government has presided over the lowest level of house building in peacetime since the 1920s – not even half the number of homes were completed to keep up with demand and by 2020 there will be a shortage of more than two million homes across the country.

“Labour has committed to getting 200,000 homes built a year by 2020 and I welcome this move. There must be a clear plan for house building otherwise rental and purchase prices of homes will be inflated further still and more people will be left homeless.”