Mortgage lending in the UK remained slow last month, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

Total lending for home loans stood at £12bn in September, the lowest September total since the year 2000.

The CML's figures, which cover borrowing for house purchases as well as remortgaging, were down 1% from August and 7% lower than in September last year, figures that indicate that lending is stagnating after picking up earlier in the spring.

Leading surveyors have reported that property prices are set for a fall once again as the number of sellers continues to outweigh demand.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) claimed that 44% of its members saw prices fall in the past three months, with only 6% reporting that prices had risen. 50% said they had been stable.

Meanwhile, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) reported that the number of home loans approved in August had fallen by 8% on the previous month. The total number, 51,600, was 3% on the same month last year however.

Total mortgage lending fell for the second month in a row in August, with analysts claiming that another fall in house prices could be around the corner.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said that the number of homes sold in the UK also fell last month, by 5,000 to 85,000, whilst property groups have claimed that typical asking prices have fallen by an average of around £8,000 as a large number of returning sellers are met with a small number of potential buyers.

"We face the prospect of a difficult second half of the year," said the CML's chief economist Bob Pannell.

Consumer borrowing in the UK decreased for the fifth month in the row, figures from the Bank of England have revealed although mortgage approvals have increased to their highest level since March 2008.

A total of 60,518 mortgages were approved in November, up from 57,718 on the previous month but consumer borrowing continued to struggle, with borrowing on unsecured loans once again seeing a fall.

A monthly report released by Rightmove has shown that asking prices fell by more than £5,000 in the last month as sellers who have problems with payments and rising interest rates continue to cause problems within the housing market.