People on bricklaying courses may find that they are being trained specifically to build smaller houses, it has been revealed.

According to the Steve Turner, head of communications at the Home Builders Federation, local planning authorities are not delivering enough land for home building.

His comments followed the release of a new report by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe), which suggested that dwindling amounts of land are prompting construction firms to build smaller houses.

Mr Turner elaborated: "It is in the [remit] of the local planning associations to deliver more land for developers to build on.

"If there is not enough land and you are demanding bigger room sizes then you are going to get less houses delivered, which is going to drive up the cost, which is going to make it more unaffordable for more people. It is a matter of choice."

The Cabe report also indicated that 37 per cent of people do not have enough space in their homes to entertain guests, while 35 per cent can't find room for basic cooking appliances.