Estate agents are selling less than one property a week as prices continue to tumble, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has said.

Members sold the lowest level of properties since the group's survey first began in 1978 in the three months to the end of September - an average of just 11.5 homes.

RICS said members in London were seeing worse problems, with estate agents there making an average of just eight sales in that time.

Alongside those figures, the number of surveyors reporting house price falls during September has also gone up for the first time since April.

Some 84.2% more chartered surveyors reported seeing further price slides during the month than those who saw price rises, compared with 81.8% more who reported falls in August.

A lack of available mortgage finance is stifling the ability of buyers to access the market, RICS said.

But it added that the £37 billion rescue package for British banks, which includes a commitment that they will increase lending to homeowners, meant the situation could ease.

The group said there was some good news, with the number of enquiries from new buyers going up for the fifth consecutive month to reach its highest level for 16 months.

Just 17% more chartered surveyors reported a fall than a rise, compared with 27% more who saw a fall in August compared with the previous month.

Sellers have had to drop their asking prices to more realistic levels, but the percentage of their asking price achieved is still falling, RICS said.

The number of people putting putting their home on the market has also continued to fall during September, with 14% more surveyors reporting a drop than those who saw a rise, compared with 2% more in August.

RICS spokesman Jeremy Leaf said: "The recent turmoil in the financial markets has dented confidence further but the announcement by the Government that the re-capitalisation of banks will be accompanied by increased lending to home owners raises the possibility that the lack of mortgage finance that has so damaged the housing market might be eased."

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