The National Housing Federation (NHF) has become the latest property group to call on the government to increase the number of affordable, family-sized homes in the capital.

A spokesman for the federation said that forcing people to commute over long distances has a negative impact on the environment as well as on family lives and that there is a real need for "decent-sized family accommodation" in London.

His comments follow on from a report by the National House Building Council which revealed that flats and maisonettes have become the principal type of housing currently being developed in the UK.

"A lot of the new homes being built tend to be blocks of flats, particularly in London," the NHF spokesman said. "But this is something that needs to change because we are seeing a lot of flats being built where there is a real need for family-sized accommodation."

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that a lack of affordable housing is driving Londoners out of the capital at a rate of 20,000 per month.