More than 1,600 faced losing home, figures show

Residents in Wolverhampton and Walsall struggled the most, with more than 900 court proceedings against them in total.

Rising unemployment and increased pressure on household budgets led to more and more borrowers falling behind on their mortgages.

And the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said things were only set to get worse in 2012, predicting 45,000 homes could be repossessed nationally during this year – up from an estimated 37,000 in the 12 months prior.

The latest figures relate to the number of possession claims and court orders made between January and September 2011.

The statistics for the final quarter are still being collated.

In Wolverhampton, there were 355 claims leading to 260 court orders, while at Walsall County Court there were 600 claims leading to 440 orders.

In Stafford, there were 165 claims leading to 130 orders.

At Dudley Country Court, a total of 250 orders were issued following 320 claims and at Stourbridge County Court, there were 195 claims and 135 orders.

The CML said property sales and total mortgage lending are also expected to fall over the course of this year. Homelessness charity Shelter said the news should make the Government reconsider plans to make homeowners wait 39 weeks before they can claim support for mortgage interest (SMI), a benefit that pays mortgage interest on behalf of unemployed borrowers.

Chief executive Campbell Robb said: "We have been warning that increasing numbers of homeowners are straining under the combined pressures of sky-high living costs and rising unemployment.

"Clearly this is the worst possible time to make people wait longer before getting SMI, a vital lifeline that helps thousands of struggling homeowners keep their homes.

In light of the CML's prediction we hope the government recognises just how disastrous this would be and scraps this proposal immediately."