New build homes smallest in 'rabbit hutch Britain'

New build housing in this country is the most cramped in Europe, earning it the nickname 'rabbit hutch Britain'.

Average new build floor space is just 76m2 in Britain. Denmark tops the league with 137m2, followed by Greece with 126.4m2.

The Guardian reported that the survey by housing charity Shelter showed that Britain has the smallest rooms west of Poland. The smallest homes on the market are Barratt Homes' 'Manhattan pods' in Harlow, Essex which have just 34m2 of living space.

But housebuilders warned that space standards could slow down housebuilding, as well as increasing costs.

"We can't increase the footprint of a home without increasing the land we need to buy and develop," Steve Turner from the Home Builders' Federation (HBF).