In almost three-quarters (73.3%) of towns and cities surveyed by the online estate agent, bungalows accounted for less than 10% of all houses on the market.

At present, London (0.9%) has the least amount of bungalow housing stock, followed by Aberdeen (1.4%), Portsmouth (2%), Oxford (2.2%) and Cambridge (2.5%).

There were just 129 bungalows for sale in Greater London, four in Aberdeen and just 10 such properties available in Cambridge out of more than 400 houses on the market.

Worthing, however, had the highest amount of bungalows for sale (24.1%), followed by Bournemouth (21.9%) and Eastbourne (20.1%).

•   Help to Buy supports over 320,000 homebuyers
•   Council agrees key stage in 1,000 affordable homes project
•   Sajid Javid reveals new planning approach

Alex Gosling, CEO of HouseSimple.com, said: "We could be facing a specific housing shortage that hasn’t been addressed, or certainly hasn’t been at the top of the government’s priority list.

“There is a lack of suitable housing for the older generation, and with fewer bungalows being built and the existing stock declining or off the market indefinitely, there is a crisis brewing that could put a terrific strain on the care home system and NHS in the next decade.

“We have an ageing population, but there isn’t the housing infrastructure in place to meet the needs of this demographic.

“There is every chance that housebuilders could stop building bungalows altogether in the next three to five years.

“The knock-on effect of that eventuality could be catastrophic if provisions aren’t put in place.”