More than 2.5 million people have seen house sales fall through in the past five years with time-wasting buyers or sellers among the biggest reasons for the failure of the deal, according to new research by Spring Move Limited.

And people in the North East of England and the North West are among the worst affected.  Some 11 per cent – or 831,713 people – in the North East and North West have seen a house deal fail in the past five years.

Among the major reasons for the house sale falling through included time-wasting buyers – cited by 38 per cent of those who’ve suffered – and time-wasting by sellers which was blamed by 41 per cent. A further 23 per cent said they simply changed their minds.