The latest census figures from England and Wales show almost 50,000 people now have a second address in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
This is the first time the question has been included on the census in England and Wales.
47,733 residents in England and Wales have a second address in either Scotland or Northern Ireland, which is more than double the number in Cornwall – England’s favoured location for second homes.
The largest numbers of residents with second addresses in these areas are found in local authorities in the north of England, i.e. close to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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The City of London also showed a high concentration of residents who own second homes.
But David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation, warned that the high numbers are pushing young families out of their local communities.
Mr Orr said: "The high number of second homes in many parts of the country have helped push prices up so they are out of reach for local people. If families and young people are priced out of their local villages it can have a hugely damaging impact on community life, with village shops, schools and pubs closing in alarming numbers as a result.
"Our Home Truths report shows that the rising cost of rents and house prices is stopping people's aspirations and nearly 10,000 more working people a month are relying on housing benefit to help pay their rent. Unless we build more affordable homes for local people, they will continue to be priced out of rural areas and the countryside will increasingly become a place for the well off to enjoy at weekends."
(IT)
