Gross mortgage lending in April was an estimated £10.4bn, -9% less than the £11.4bn in March and -60% less than in April 2008, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).

Some of the fall could be attributed to the fact that Easter fell in April this year, the CML said, while Easter last year was in March. Taken together, lending for March and April was down by 57% on a year earlier.

Michael Coogan, CML’s director general, said: “It’s still too early to spot a clear pattern of recovery in the housing market as some commentators have suggested. Activity remains weak and we have said we will see volatility in monthly lending figures as we bounce along at the bottom of the market.”

However the poor figures for April have not affected the CML’s forecast for gross lending for the year, expecting it to reach £145bn in 2009. But these figures are particularly disappointing at a time when the Government is encouraging lenders to lend more and the property industry is telling everyone that lending needs to improve if the market is to recover.