Rising numbers of West families face the misery of losing their homes for failing to meet their mortgage payments, new figures revealed today.

Worrying figures show a 12 per cent increase in mortgage possession orders issued in courts in the region between July and August this year, compared to the same period in 2007.

And as the credit crunch continues to bite, the total number of orders issued in the first nine months of 2008 reached 10,756 in the South West, up 18 per cent.

The Ministry of Justice statistics show there have been 118,000 mortgage possession claims issued across the country so far this year, up 15 per cent on the same time in 2007.

But many of the most prosperous places in the West did much worse than the national average of nine per cent in the third quarter of this year, suggesting Government promises to protect families have failed.

There were big rises in Bournemouth (45 per cent), Yeovil (42), Barnstaple (32), Gloucester (31), Weston-super-Mare (23), Bristol (20) Taunton (15) and Swindon (11).

The only place to record a decrease was Salisbury, but that followed a staggering 95 per cent jump in the previous quarter, and the city is still up 26 per cent for the year.

Bristol saw the highest number of possession claims issued with 379, while there were 216 in Gloucester and 207 in Swindon.

Not all the claims for repossession are granted, and sometimes borrowers reach a late agreement to pay.

Nationally more than 11,000 homes were possessed during the third quarter, up 12 per cent, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which said 168,000 families were in arrears at the end of September.

Gordon Brown urged banks to help families keep their homes when they get into difficulties, and he said courts have been told to ensure alternatives are considered before possession orders are issued.

The Prime Minister said changes will come into effect on January 1 to provide state help with mortgages after 13 weeks of unemployment.

He spoke to voters facing losing their homes during a radio interview, saying people made unemployed during the credit crunch will be able to find jobs because they were building a stronger economy.

"I am telling the banks that it is a bad thing for them to move to repossessions because people are in temporarily difficult circumstances, but they have got an asset which in time will grow in value."

Government measures to help people avoid eviction include allowing them to sell their home to a social landlord and rent it back, or join a shared equity or ownership scheme.

But Adam Sampson of charity Shelter warned of "severe shocks to come" with increases in negative equity, unemployment and defaulting on buy-to-let mortgages.

Tory housing spokesman Grant Shapps said: "Far more must be done to stop families being thrown onto the streets."

And Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, the first politician to predict that the housing bubble would burst, said families were stretched to breaking point by colossal debts and the high cost of borrowing.