More adults are living at home with their parents in Maldon than a decade before.

New census figures show 5,815 non-dependent children were still living in the family home in the district in 2021 – up from 4,929 in 2011 and the previous census.

A non-dependent child is someone living with their parents who is either over-18 and without a partner or child, or a 16-18-year-old not in full-time education.

The 18 per cent rise in the district outstrips the trend across England and Wales, where the number of non-dependent children living at home increased by just under 15 per cent in the last 10 years, from 4.2 million to 4.9 million.

Soaring house prices have been blamed for first-time buyers struggling to get on the housing ladder.

House prices in Maldon have risen by an average of 67 per cent, from £215,750 in December 2011 to £360,000 in December 2021.

Across England and Wales, the average house price climbed by 56 per cent from £176,000 to £275,000 over the same time period.