The following table shows the numbers of outright and suspended orders made for mortgage possession in each region in England and Wales since 2003.
These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Total Suspended orders London 3,252 3,996 6,489 6,914 6,129 26,780 Midlands 4,705 5,222 7,174 8,585 8,968 34,654 North East 3,579 3,687 5,360 6,967 7,009 26,602 North West 4,003 3,805 5,043 6,714 7,179 26,744 South East 4,933 5,759 8,174 8,647 8,000 35,513 South West 2,305 2,593 3,750 4,114 3,757 16,519 Wales 1,729 1,527 2,156 2,700 2,991 11,103 England and Wales 24,506 26,589 38,146 44,641 44,033 177,915 Outright orders London 2,742 3,792 6,621 8,298 7,945 29,398 Midlands 2,936 3,715 5,943 8,816 10,069 31,479 North East 2,427 2,549 4,279 6,643 8,043 23,941 North West 2,635 2,687 4,072 6,499 7,890 23,783 South East 3,268 4,291 7,046 9,046 9,824 33,475 South West 1,425 1,940 3,068 4,001 4,421 14,855 Wales 1,099 1,120 1,789 2,736 3,208 9,952 England and Wales 16,532 20,094 32,818 46,039 51,400 166,883 All orders London 5,994 7,788 13,110 15,212 14,074 56,178 Midlands 7,641 8,937 13,117 17,401 19,037 66,133 North East 6,006 6,236 9,639 13,610 15,052 50,543 North West 6,638 6,492 9,115 13,213 15,069 50,527 South East 8,201 10,050 15,220 17,693 17,824 68,988 South West 3,730 4,533 6,818 8,115 8,178 31,374 Wales 2,828 2,647 3,945 5,436 6,199 21,055 England and Wales 41,038 46,683 70,964 90,680 95,433 344,798 1 Mortgage possession data include all types of lenders whether local authority or private. 2 The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction. Notes: 1. Includes suspended orders and orders made. 2. Does not include the small number of possession actions entered in the High Court. Source: Ministry of Justice