THE NUMBER of homes being repossessed in Hounslow has fallen by a fifth in the last year, new statistics show.

A total of 85 repossession orders were issued on addresses across the borough during the last quarter, 22 per cent down on the same period in 2008, according to data from the Ministry of Justice.

The figure, which still equates to about one in a thousand households, reflects a downward trend in repossessions across London.

In neighbouring Richmond, repossession orders fell by 40 per cent to just 25, and in Kingston they were down by a fifth to 40.

At the height of the banking crisis, the Council of Mortgage Lenders predicted 75,000 homes across the country would be repossessed during 2009, the same as during the last housing crash in 1991, but that forecast has now been slashed to 48,000.

Although the number of court orders for repossessions is a reliable indicator for actual repossessions, not all orders lead to people losing their homes and repossessions can take place without a court order.