Average house prices in County Cavan increased by 18 per cent last year, according to figures released by Daft.ie.

Sinn Féin Senator Kathryn Reilly described the increase as a "worrying statistic".

Senator Reilly said: "The rapid rise in house prices will only serve to price people out of the market, and in conjunction with the sharp increase in rental prices only serves to drive more people into homelessness.

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"Last year daft.ie issued figures around the increase in the cost of renting which showed that rents rose faster in 2015 than at any time since the boom. In Cavan alone that increase was 10 per cent.

"With property and rental costs increasing at an alarming rate in Cavan, and across the county, there is a serious possibility that even more people will become frozen out of the housing market; and as a result of the government's complete lack of social housing builds and massive social housing waiting lists, many more people are at a serious risk of ending up homeless.

"Sinn Féin's recently published housing policy document which highlights many areas where improvements need be made to the housing market in order for it to function better for the Irish people."

(CD/LM)