Over a third of British adults said that empty homes are a blight on their local area, according to new research from Halifax and the Empty Homes Agency.

Three quarters of adults also believe the Government should prioritise the issue of empty homes.

The survey found people on average thought there were around 377,000 empty homes in England, whereas statistics from the Empty Homes Agency show the figure is over 610,000.

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The Empty Homes Agency is launching its campaign for all the Westminster political parties to pledge that should they form the next government, they will adopt a plan to tackle empty homes within their first year in power, as part of a wider approach to tackling housing needs.

Helen Williams, Chief Executive of the charity Empty Homes Agency, commented: "There is clear support from voters of all political persuasions for the next government to commit to tackling empty homes.

"Today we are launching a campaign asking all the Westminster political parties to pledge that, if they form the next government, they will adopt a plan to tackle empty homes within their first year, as part of a wider approach to tackling housing need."

(CD/JP)