First-time buyers are being hit hard by the mortgage crisis sweeping Britain as lenders pull swatches of products for borrowers with small deposits.

There were 199 products available over the weekend for househunters seeking to borrow up to 95pc the value of the property, according to the Moneyfacts website.

That is a slump of more than 40pc over the past year from 347 at the start of June.

The average interest rate on a two-year fixed 95pc loan-to-value mortgage gas jumped by more than three percentage points to 6.49pc over the same period

It comes as the average rate for a two-year fixed mortgage tipped over 6pc on Monday for the first time since December.

The crisis has been triggered by persistent inflation, which has sent Government borrowing costs surge, impacting the rate lenders are prepared to offer.

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