A plan to build thousands of homes in the South East has serious faults, a committee of MPs has warned.

A £20 billion plan unveiled by the deputy prime minister to build 200,000 homes around Ashford, Milton Keynes, the Thames Gateway and Cambridge corridor is "unsustainable", the Commons environment select committee said.

Potential buyers who cannot afford to live in London could be forced to live in "characterless urban sprawl" and officials have failed to consider the cost of providing the schools, roads and hospitals needed to support the developments.

"We are far from convinced that the government's plans will be sustainable," warned committee chairman Andrew Bennett.