SEVEN months is the average time people in the North West have been saving to get on the property ladder, according to a new study.

Interiors and blinds company Hillarys asked 3,000 people across the UK about the lengths they would go to in order to buy a house.

More than half of those questioned said they would eat the same meal every day for a year.

One in five said they would drink just water for a year if it meant they could build up their savings.

Those in London were found to be the most desperate to buy their own home, with 27 per cent prepared to skip going on holiday for five years if it helped them.

The average length of time Londoners had been saving up was four years.

People in the North East were the least likely to give up anything, and their average time spent saving for a house was six months.

Tara Hall, for Hillarys, said: “Getting that first foot on the property is getting more and more difficult, as rising property prices mean deposits are getting substantially larger.

“These figures just illustrate the frustrations of those desperately trying to save.”