PRIVATE RENTS INCREASE BY £100s A MONTH ACROSS SWATHES OF THE UK

AVERAGE private rents in the UK increased by £73 a month to £1,348 in the 12 months to August, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

- By DAVID DUBAS-FISHER

The increase works out at an extra 5.7% that people are having to find, a housing charity warns that soaring rents could push people into homelessness.

Separate figures from the ONS showed that annual growth in employees' average earnings was 4.8% in July, meaning wages are failing to keep up with rent increases.

The rate of private rent inflation has varied across the country, reaching double figures in 21 local authority areas, and renters in 51 areas having to find more than £100 extra each month.

Private renters in Newport have experienced the largest rent inflation in the UK.