Lib Dem leader Vince Cable has said councils need to be given the powers and resources to bring empty homes back into use.

Mr Cable's call came after research by the Lib Dems found more than 11,000 homes have stood empty for at least 10 years.

A Freedom of Information Act request revealed that more than 216,000 homes across the country have been empty for six months or more.

The research also discovered that only 19 of the 247 councils that responded to the request had used powers to take over these empty properties in the past five years.

Mr Cable said: ‘The Government needs to urgently review the current system, which is clearly not working.

‘Councils need to be given the powers and resources to bring empty homes back into use .

‘This must form part of a wider package to tackle the housing crisis, including building more homes on unused public sector land and clamping down on land banking.'