Chaos as UK town house sales at risk after Labour-run council blunder

In a statement on its website, Bracknell Forest Council said it was "re-configuring data for our register which is the main cause for the disruption".

"The register is key to a Land Charges search. It needs to be complete and accurate. This work is crucial before we can safely restore the service.

Local estate agent Kevin Winchester said the system issue was affecting people financially and putting dozens of housing chains in danger of collapse due to buyers pulling out.

First-time buyer Mike Cox, 28, said his life has been put "completely on hold" while waiting for the land search results since mid-February.

"The longer it goes, the more money I'm spending on rent and the more I'm dipping into savings," he told The Telegraph. "It's hell."

Mortgage offers typically last for three to six months, after which buyers face repricing at a likely higher rate as the Iran war pushes borrowing costs up.