Nearly half of middle-class home owners fear that they could lose their properties next year because they are struggling to pay their mortgages, research shows.
The news comes after the Council for Mortgage Lenders forecast that the number of repossessions is likely nearly to double to 75,000 next year.
A YouGov poll, carried out for a new report from Tory MP Grant Shapps, found that 44 per cent of mortgage holders are worried that lenders could force them out of their properties next year. A similar proportion were worried about not being able to meet mortgage payments between now and the end of 2010.
The study - The New Homeless - found that the concern among homeowners about losing the roof over their heads in the economic downturn stretched across society.
It found that 42 per cent of middle class professionals were worried about not paying the mortgage over the next year, compared with 46 per cent of blue collar households.