First-time buyers in Scotland say they would travel no longer than 45 minutes each way to work, according to new research by Abbey mortgages.

This is two minutes longer than the UK average of 43 minutes each way.

However, some 15 per cent of UK first-time buyers stated they would travel up to an hour each way, seven per cent would undertake an hour and a half journey to the office and two per cent of respondents indicated that they would endure a four-hour round trip to work.

Director of mortgages at Abbey Sue Hayes said that the current pricing level inside Britain's major towns and cities means that an increasing number of people are finding that they have to purchase a home further than they may want from their workplace.

"Even so, our research shows that many first-time buyers are still not fully aware of how far they might have to commute each day in order to get on to the housing ladder," she added.

Being too far away from one's bed may be a reason for a lack of motivation to travel for extended periods of time to work as recent research by Abbey indicated that a quarter of Britons consider the bedroom to be the most important room in their house.