The average cost of a house in the UK has reached a new record of £100,000.

The figures were released as MPs debated the housing situation in the capital.

Ex-ministers joined fellow Labour backbenchers to call on the government to intervene in the market.

Former culture secretary and MP for Islington South and Finsbury Chris Smith, blamed a lack of housing investment for the current crisis.

"We do have a genuine housing crisis across London. It's not just suddenly occurred. It has been going on for a very long time resulting from lack of investment," he said.

"My plea to them is that they understand the need for sustained and increased investment in the housing stock of boroughs like Islington."

Former transport minister Glenda Jackson warned the government that the crisis was leading to a break up of communities.

"The government has put more money into affordable social housing but as far as London is concerned, it's simply not enough," she said.

But the figures from the Halifax reveal wide regional variations in the typical costs of housing.

For £100,000 it is possible to buy a one-bedroomed flat in London or Edinburgh, a three-bedroomed semi-detached house in the Midlands or a four-bedroomed executive home in County Down, Northern Ireland.

The lowest average cost of a house is £61,700 in the North.

In Scotland the figure is £68,800, in Wales £70,200 and in Northern Ireland £71,700.

In Greater London the average price is £175,900 compared to £148,600 in the South East and £117,800 in the South West.

The Halifax's research also reveals that in recent decades the growth in house prices has been picking up.

In 1945 the average house price was just £1000, rising slowly to £5000 by 1970.

But by 1973 prices had risen to £10,000, in 1988 they were £50,000 and by 1999 they had hit £75,000.

In the last three years house prices have increased by 37 per cent while retail prices have risen by less than six per cent.

Commenting on the figures, Martin Ellis, group economist at Halifax, said: "The housing market in the UK has reached another historic milestone, albeit one that is not shared by all the regions."