Rent prices have risen twice as fast as wages in Newham over the last eight years, figures show.

The median monthly rent for a property in Newham was £1,400 in 2018-19, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

That was 56pc higher than during 2010-11, the earliest year with comparable data.

The median is a measure used to exclude extreme values which could skew the average.

But ONS earnings figures show median salaries only increased by 27pc over the same period.

Newham residents - including both full and part-time workers - had an average pre-tax monthly pay packet of £2,177 in 2019, compared to £1,715 eight years earlier.

Rents across England rose by 22pc over the same period to £700 a month, while average salaries increased by 17pc.

Housing charity Shelter chief executive Polly Neate called for urgent investment in affordable social housing.

She said: "Despite working all the hours they can, millions of people are struggling to keep up with the sky-high cost of private rents.

"Recent efforts to improve renters' rights by banning costly letting fees and committing to abolish 'no-fault' evictions are very welcome, but private renting is not always the right place for struggling families to live."