New research has revealed the majority of Scottish adults feel empty housing is affecting the availability of homes.

According to a YouGov survey for the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), 60% of adults thought that vacant properties "contributed directly" to a housing reduction, while 49% felt empty homes lower the value of local properties.

The SEHP said there are around 34,000 private empty homes in Scotland, while 150,000 families and individuals are currently on waiting lists for a home.

While 75% of adults said empty homes cause anti-social behaviour, only 3% said deserted properties caused no problems in their communities.

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Kristen Hubert, National Manager of SEHP, said: "This survey shows just how concerned people in Scotland are about empty homes in their communities.

"The SEHP would like to see all of Scotland's local authorities responding pro-actively to the problem of empty homes.  We think more powers to tackle the blight of empty homes such as a Compulsory Sale Order would give them the ability to force a long-term empty property or piece of land onto the open market if it hasn't been used in three years and shows no prospect of reuse."

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart added: "As clearly demonstrated by this survey, empty homes are a wasted resource and can be a blight on local communities.

"That's why the Scottish Government supports the work of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership to deliver real results on the ground. Since 2010 the Partnership has brought almost 1700 homes back into use and helped 17 local authorities to appoint dedicated empty homes officers.

"To add to the range of tools available to tackle empty homes, we are committed to bringing forward provisions for Compulsory Sales Orders as part of on-going land reform measures."

(LM/CD)