FIRST-time buyers struggling to climb on Worcestershire's property ladder face even more disappointment with prices continuing to rise, according to a new report.

Speculation that house prices might start to slow down has been blown out of the water by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which predicts further increases over the summer.

David Stuart-Smith, RICS member and chartered surveyor at estate agent Andrew Grant, said after a one per cent increase in April, first-time buyers continued to be priced out of the market.

"Interestingly, this means that they become the tenants of their competitors - buy-to-let investors," he said.

"In particular, they are being priced out of Worcester city centre."

Estate agent Chris Davis, from The Property Centre, Tolladine Road, said it was a no-win situation with the huge demand for cheaper houses pushing the prices up.

"First-time buyers are finding it harder to buy, but there is such a demand for £100,000-£150,000 houses that the prices are going up faster than the rest of the market," he said.

Harvey Williams, national and regional housing market spokesman for the RICS, said although prices were not rocketing, the market was holding firm.

"The tragedy is that first-time buyers continue to be locked out of the market," he said.

"There are now fewer first-time buyers entering the market than at any time during the last decade.

"The latest figures from the Land Registry revealed the average house price in the West Midlands region is now £137,644, up from £133,811 on the previous quarter.

"While the sun continues to shine on the housing market, first time buyers look set to be left out in the cold.