PRIME Minister David Cameron is travelling to Southampton this morning as he champions his Help to Buy house ownership scheme.

The Conservative leader will be at Regents Park Road at 10.20am before moving on to Centenery Quay in Vosper Road an hour later.

He is making the trip to Hampshire after announcing that more than 6,000 people have put offers in on homes and applied for mortgages thanks to the Help to Buy scheme.

In the less than three months that the mortgage guarantee scheme has been offered, nearly 750 homeowners have completed their purchases and hundreds were able to spend Christmas in their new homes.

In November, ministers published figures showing that in the first month after being launched more than 2,000 people had put in offers on homes and applied for a Help to Buy mortgage. That number has now trebled.

The mortgages, once approved, would represent nearly £1 billion of new lending to aspiring home owners who may have previously found the property market out-of-reach because of the size of deposit required.

Mr Cameron said he hoped the new year would see ''thousands more realise their dream of home ownership''.

Barclays and Santander will introduce their own Help to Buy products onto the market this month, joining Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, HSBC, Virgin Money and Aldermore who have all launched products over the last three months.

The expansion will mean two thirds of the entire UK mortgage market will offer products under the Help to Buy scheme, bringing home ownership to a growing number of people.

New figures also show that an additional 20,000 households have also been supported by the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme, a separate scheme where the Government provides an interest-free loan to support the purchase of the newly built home.

House building is now growing at its fastest rate since 2008, and is seen as a critical part of the country's economic recovery.

On average applicants are looking to buy homes worth £160,000, which remains below the UK average house price of £247,000.

They will face average monthly repayments of around £900 and have an annual household income of around £45,000. This means a Help to Buy mortgage represents 23 per cent of borrowers' gross income.

Around three quarters are from outside London and the South East, while more than 80% are from first-time buyers.

Mr Cameron said: ''The new year is often a time when people look to make those big life-changing decisions like moving home or taking that first step on the housing ladder.

''But too many people have found themselves frozen out of the market in recent years as a result of the size of the deposit required.

''That is why as part of our long-term economic plan we introduced the Help to Buy scheme, so hardworking people with sufficient earnings can get on, fulfil their aspirations and enjoy the security of owning their own home.

''In less than three months, the scheme has already helped thousands of people. I want to see that continue in 2014 and for Help to Buy to help thousands more realise their dream of home ownership.''

Mr Cameron met Sharon Ray and her daughter Maisie, one, to talk about her experiences using the Help to Buy scheme.

Daily Echo:

The pair sat on the sofa in Sharon's flat and had a cup of tea as they talked about housing issues.

Little Maisie seemed unfazed as photographers and camera men crammed in to the small room.

Mr Cameron spent around 30 minutes at the home, in Regents Park Road, before heading off to Centenary Quay in Woolston.

 

Daily Echo:

At the site, Cameron toured the Centenary Quay development and met apprentice construction workers Holly-Jane Boylan, Callum Boreland and Richard Smith (above).