New data has revealed that nearly 1000 people in Epping Forest and Harlow have used the Help to Buy scheme.

The Government initiative aims to help thousands of families in Essex to get onto the housing ladder.

Figures released by the Home and Communities Agency (HCA) shows that a total of 10,055 homebuyers in the county used the scheme since it launched seven years ago.

A total of 954 people have taken part in the scheme in Epping Forest and Harlow.

This means that 187 people in Epping have used the scheme and of that figure 159 were first time buyers.

But in Harlow a total of 767 people have attempted to get onto the housing later and 626 people were first time buyers.

The scheme enables buyers to put down just five percent as a deposit for their new home and to take advantage of a Government equity loan providing access to more affordable mortgage homes.

It allows any homebuyer to secure a brand new home under the value of £600,000 with just a five percent deposit.

The government lends the buyer 20 per cent of the value of the property in the form of an interest free equity loan for five years, meaning that buyers then gain access to some of the mortgage rates currently available with just a 75 per cent mortgage.