The Property Codes Compliance Board, which regulates search companies, has hit out at the “very poor service” being provided by some local authorities.

It says these are leading to delays and fall-throughs.

The PCCB said a growing number of local councils were performing woefully.

It named the current worst offenders as:

West Dorset – taking nine weeks

North Wiltshire – seven weeks

South Wiltshire – seven weeks

Ashfield – five weeks

Harlow, Portsmouth and Weymouth & Portland – all taking four weeks.

The PCCB said the problem was compounded by some local councils dragging their heels in providing access to private search firms.

Kate Davies, chairman of the PCCB, said: “We are very concerned that the home buying and selling public are being adversely affected by very poor performance by some local authorities, and in some cases transactions are breaking down due to the delays.

“If you live in Wiltshire, for example, it is an accident of geography if a lawyer can expect to receive searches back in six days or six weeks, and this is totally unacceptable.”

She said that if staff local authorities were unable to produce the information required within a few days, they should allow regulated personal search companies immediate access to their data.

The PCCB is an independent organisation which maintains registers of firms that subscribe to a code of practice.