Prime minister Gordon Brown has been heavily criticised by opposition MPs for what has been described as his "economic incompetence".

Millions of people are suffering with serious debt management problems and the prime minister is largely to blame, according to the Conservatives.

The Tories have insisted that Mr Brown’s policies during his time as chancellor served to encourage consumers to borrow more money than they could realistically afford to pay back.

"Gordon Brown failed to prepare, he borrowed in a boom and allowed the debt bubble to grow. Now the whole country is paying the price," said shadow chancellor George Osborne.

Mr Osborne’s comments came in response to data from the Halifax that showed the average house price in the UK fell by close to 2.5 per cent over the course of last month.

Earlier this week, the National Association of Estate Agents called on the Bank of England to cut interest rates in order to bolster the flagging housing market.