People on low incomes are being encouraged to buy homes with mortgages they cannot afford to repay, a charity has warned.

The Citizens Advice Bureau said the Government's policy of encouraging people to buy their council homes is adding to the trend, increasing the risk of homelessness.

The charity, which has already dealt with 57,000 problems relating to mortgage debt this year, said aggressive brokers are usually to blame.

It said some firms are not carrying out basic checks on a homeowner's income to ensure they can meet their mortgage repayments. As a result, many are being taken to court over mortgage arrears and are facing having their homes repossessed, the charity added.

Research for Citizens Advice also found that many lenders are not complying with the Financial Service Authority's rules on mortgages, which were put in place by the regulator in a bid to stop people getting out of their depth with repayments.

The charity is now calling for these regulations to be monitored more closely, with the authorities taking action when lenders do not act accordingly.

Citizens Advice chief executive David Harker said: "The cavalier behaviour of some brokers is seriously undermining home ownership and hitting the most vulnerable borrowers hardest.

"Our research suggests that many aspiring homeowners have been mis-sold unsuitable and costly home loans that are doomed to fail from the start.

"Many lenders are flouting the rules on responsible lending by granting loans when it's clear the borrower will not be able to afford to repay it from the very outset."

But the Council of Mortgage Lenders claims the charity has been too simplistic in its report, ignoring the fact that the majority of mortgage customers receive what it called "high levels" of help.

CML director general Michael Coogan said: "Citizens Advice has taken a sensationalist tone in this report, which risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

"This is a pity, as we agree with many of the underlying policy recommendations, particularly about the need to improve the woefully inadequate public safety net for homeowners who fall into difficulties."

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