More than 11,000 homes in the UK have been empty for at least a decade, research finds

Total of 60,000 properties empty for the last two years

More than 23,000 houses have been empty for five years or more (Getty)

More than 11,000 homes in the UK have been empty for at least a decade, research from the Liberal Democrats has found.

The data showed that 60,000 properties had been empty for two years or more, 23,000 for five years or more and more than 11,000 for ten years or more.

Statistics on long term vacant properties is not often published and the data was compiled through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to 275 councils.

Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, described the news as a “national scandal”.

“At a time when the homelessness crisis is worsening and more and more people are sleeping out in the cold on our streets, it is a national scandal that thousands of homes across the country are sitting empty,” Mr Cable told The Guardian.

The research also indicated only one in 13 councils were using the empty dwelling management orders, the powers given to local authorities to take control of properties that have been empty for at least half a year.

The news comes as a study revealed that 300,000 people in Britain are now homeless.

The study, by housing charity Shelter, found that 307,000, or one in every 200, people are now either sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation.

Although the figure has risen by 13,000 in the last year alone, Shelter said the partial nature of Government data means the real number of homeless people is likely to be even higher.