Edited by Andy Jowett.
Easter put a dent in the mortgage market, with lending for residential property purchase declining in April and first-time buyer numbers hitting the lowest level since September 2007.
This is according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), which showed there were 40,000 new loans for buying a home agreed during the month worth a combined £5.7 billion.
In March, there were 45,000 deals given the green light with a total value of £6.3 billion.
The CML noted that 35 per cent of the loans agreed in April went to people getting on the first rung of the property ladder, down from 39 per cent in March and 38 per cent a year earlier.
It said this decline reflects the difficulty many prospective first-time buyers still face in securing a mortgage without a hefty deposit.
CML director-general Michael Coogan said: "Easter traditionally causes a dampening of lending levels and this year was no exception."
According to Nationwide, the average UK house price stood at £167,802 in April.