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Key public sector workers have seen the number of towns in which they can afford to buy a home soar more than 10-fold since house prices peaked in 2007, with Yorkshire one of the most affordable regions, research has indicated.

Nurses, teachers, police officers, fire fighters and paramedics can now afford to buy a home in 38 per cent of towns, compared with just three per cent in the third quarter of 2007, according to high street bank Halifax.

However, property prices still remain out of reach for key workers on average salaries in 62 per cent of towns in the UK, and affordability is still significantly worse than it was 10 years ago, when key workers could afford to buy a home in 64 per cent of UK towns.

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The North is the most affordable region in which key workers can buy a home, with an average house price to earnings ratio of 3.7, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber, the North West and Wales, all at 3.8.

London and the South East are the least affordable regions for key workers with homes costing 7.1 times and 6.7 times average salaries respectively.

Nelson in Lancashire is the most affordable town for key workers, with the average property costing 2.1 times the salary of workers such as teachers and nurses.

It is followed by Lochgelly in Fife, which has a house price to earnings ratio of 2.4 for key workers, while Bootle in Merseyside has one of 2.5 times.