New research has revealed there are more than a quarter of a million homes across Great Britain that have been left empty for at least two years.

A study by insurance group Admiral found long-term vacancies across the three countries totalled 278,018, while 2,535 vacant homes were listed for demolition last year.

Admiral’s research found that there were nine long-term vacant homes for every 1,000 units in England, totalling 216,186.