Mark Harris, chief executive of SPF Private Clients, said: “[This] is a classic case of the ‘haves and have nots’, as pricing on lower loan-to-value mortgages continues to edge downwards.”

Harris noted that the housing market continued to be buoyant in February, with annual growth picking up.

Data collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that UK average house prices increased by 8.6% in the year to February 2021.

This increase represents the highest annual growth rate the UK has seen since October 2014.

Harris said: “The launch of the mortgage guarantee scheme backed by the government will provide a further boost for the market, enabling those with modest deposits to get on the housing ladder sooner rather than later.”