The Proclaimers sang about walking 500 miles, but for home movers nine miles appears to be the limit.

Figures from home removals websites Reallymoving.com, based on analysis of 200,000 quotes, found that half of all moves were nine miles or less from a previous address.

The average distance moved by Reallymoving customers was 52 miles in 2015, down from 55 miles in 2014.

According to the website’s data, more than two-fifths of all buyers were first-timers, up from 37% in 2014.

The amount first-time buyers have been paying as a proportion of wider house prices has also been falling.

In 2014, the average price paid by first-time buyers was 79% of that paid by other buyers. But last year, the average price of £202,000 paid by first-time home owners was only three-quarters of average house prices paid by other buyers, according to Reallymoving.com

Rob Houghton, chief executive of Reallymoving.com, said: “It’s good to see the increase in first-time buyers, although large areas of the country remain prohibitively expensive for many.

“Until planning regulations are changed to allow more properties to be built we don’t see much prospect of a significant change in this.

“We’re also encouraged to see the average distance of home movers continue to drop. Our belief is that as the jobs market improves people are not having to move as far to find work.