THE average cost of renting a single room in Swindon has risen by more than almost anywhere else in the country over the past year.

Figures released by the website spareroom.co.uk show that in the past 12 months, the price of a room in the town has shot up by 13.3 per cent – second only to Luton among the 50 biggest towns and cities in the UK.

In April 2015, the same site listed the average rent for a spare room as £401, but now people are being asked to pay, on average, £455.

This type of rental arrangement is traditionally popular with young people who have moved to a new area to pursue employment opportunities after finishing university or other education.

Shared houses are also thought of as a more accessible option for those who wish to leave the family home but are not in the financial position to be able to rent a one bedroom property in its entirety or to get on the housing ladder.

The sharp rise in prices over the past year reflects an increase in demand by people in Swindon, but housing campaigners warn that it could also be a sign that landlords are taking advantage of the shortage of available accommodation.

Martin Wicks, of the Swindon Housing Action Campaign, said: "This is a worrying development.

"Government figures for September 2015 showed an average monthly rent for a room in shared accommodation in Swindon of £377.

“If the latest rentals are £455 on average, it means that people who are in shared accommodation because they cannot afford the price of a one bedroom flat are in danger of being priced out of shared accommodation.

“This will mean more 'sofa surfing' or having to stay with parents or friends.

“We have already seen the emergence in Swindon of people renting garages to live in. Significant increases in the price of renting a room will make matters worse.

“A 13 per cent increase when inflation is only around 0.5% is not only unjustified, it's profiteering.

“Landlords are taking advantage of the shortage of accommodation to push up prices to make as high a profit as they can squeeze out of people.

“The absence of any controls on the private rental sector allows landlords to get away with this.

“There need to be some form of rent controls which limit them at or close to the level of inflation."

Although the average price of a spare room in Swindon may be £455, renting a room in some parts of the town can set you back by considerably more.

In areas close to large graduate employers, such as Nationwide for example, it is not uncommon for prices to rise to more than £650 per month.

At the other end of the scale, small box rooms in areas of the town with fewer employers can be found for as little as £300 a month, however one would often struggle to fit much more than a bed in them.