An expert has warned Britons not to rely upon their homes to fund their retirement.

Research by the Alliance Trust has revealed 43 per cent of adults believe property will be their top income provider in their retirement.

Hyman Wolanski, head of pensions with the organisation, acknowledged there had been "tremendous growth" in house prices over the last ten years.

Mr Wolanksi warned "as we see initial signs of the residential property market cooling down, it is important that people don’t rely solely on their home to fund their retirement".

Last month a survey by accountancy firm Wilkins Kennedy revealed the percentage of retired bankrupts had more than doubled and accounted for seven per cent of all bankruptcies this year.

The firm reported that many pensioners could not meet their debt repayments once retirement caused their income to drop. It claimed the trend would continue as increased life expectancies put an extra strain on savings.