Teachers are being priced out of London by the high cost of living, according to a pamphlet published on Wednesday.

The "Teachers Talking" pamphlet from the National Union of Teachers includes personal accounts by teachers in the capital and calls for an increase in the London allowance in their salaries.

"The high cost of housing and travel is driving many teachers from the place they love and in many cases from the job that they love," said union general secretary Doug McAvoy.

"These individual stories - not all of them from members of the NUT - represent only the tip of the iceberg: they could be repeated many times over. These teachers should be heard by Estelle Morris, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

"Unless the unfairness is stopped - and stopped quickly - the teacher shortage threatening the education of the capital's children can only get worse. A crisis could turn into a catastrophe."

The publication of the pamphlet coincided with a rally held in Westminster by members of the NUT, the NASUWT and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Education and Skills said that since 1997 teachers' salaries had increased by 63 per cent in the capital.

"There is no doubt that the government is taking teachers' pay seriously. London allowances increased by almost 30 per cent last year - so a teacher who started work in London in 1997 has seen his or her pay go up 63 per cent since 1997," she said.

"Discretionary recruitment and retention allowances worth up to £5262 can be awarded by heads, and the starter home initiative is helping some teachers access the housing market.

"But we will continue to make progress. We are looking to help around 36,000 newly qualified teachers in shortage subjects with proposals contained in the Education Bill to pay off, over time, their student loans."

Liberal Democrat spokesman Phil Willis called teachers' pay to be raised to that of police officers.

"The government must move swiftly to raise the London weighting to £6000 and put teachers on the same footing as the police," he said.

"Legislation must be introduced to ensure that a proportion of new homes on all major developments are available to teachers, either as key worker, low rent or shared equity accommodation supported by Local Education Authorities through government grant.

"Without swift action the government's agenda to raise standards for children in the most disadvantaged communities will be in peril."