AN ALARMING rise in Liverpool families on the brink of losing their homes has been revealed – as anger grows over long delays to a government rescue scheme.

The county court reported 554 repossession orders made by lenders against householders unable to pay their mortgage bills in just three months, an 11% increase on a year earlier.

Seizure orders, in the last quarter of 2008, were also up in Birkenhead (3%), but fell in Warrington (5%) and fell significantly in Chester (27%) and Runcorn (39%).

The figures were revealed after the government announced that a long-promised £1bn rescue package, intended to start last month, would finally get underway in April.

Back in December, Gordon Brown promised the plan – to allow families to defer part of their mortgage repayments to give them “breathing space” through the recession – would “lift the fear of repossession”.

But, although the prime minister said eight major banks were already signed up to the Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme, talks have dragged on and full details were only announced yesterday.

The Conservatives leapt on the delay as evidence that the prime minister had raised false hopes of help for homeowners, only to again fail to deliver.