BANKS yesterday warned that the housing market was still far from recovery as they revealed another set of near-record low mortgage figures.

The number of home loans extended in July was down 65% on the same month last year at 22,448, just above June's figure but almost 12,000 below the average of the last six months.

The new figures came from the British Bankers' Association (BBA) and include the whole of the UK. No Scottish breakdown was available. Other studies have suggested the lending crisis is not so acute north of the border.

David Dooks of the BBA said: "The monthly numbers of approvals for house purchase levelled off in July. It would, however, be premature to think that the housing market will now start to recover."

Shelter, the housing charity, yesterday called for longer private leases as one way of tiding Scots through the credit crunch.

The Scottish Government, meanwhile, yesterday published details of how people can apply for its shared equity schemes, where buyers, mostly first-time buyers on modest incomes, can get a help on to the housing ladder.