MORE than 26,000 homes were left empty for six months or more in Wales over a six year period, with Gwent councils among the top 10 authorities responsible, it has been revealed.

New data shows the number of vacant properties in Blaenau Gwent rose by 66 per cent in two years - the second highest spike in figures in the country behind Cardiff.

The 549 houses rose to 912 between 2015 and 2016, with the latter figure being the largest that Blaenau Gwent council have dealt with since 2010.

There are also 8.37 empty homes per sq km - the highest in Gwent - and 1.31 empty homes per 100 people.

A council spokesman said that “much had been achieved” since its first empty property strategy was published in 2009.

During that time he said the council had brought 87 houses back into use, provided Empty Property Loans worth £865,543 and had worked with housing associations to improve communities with empty homes.

Elsewhere in Gwent, Newport had the highest number of empty homes in 2016 but was one of two areas to see a fall in the number of empty homes in the last year (for which the data is available).

The number for 2016 is 1293, a 1.6 per cent drop from 1314 in 2015, but the city still has 6.77 empty houses per sq km - the third highest in Wales.

A council spokeswoman said: “Newport City Council takes action to address the issue of empty private homes under its empty homes strategy, which is currently under review.”

Monmouthshire, which is the largest authority in the region, saw a near-five per cent increase in vacant properties from 663 to 696.

While the figure is the highest for seven years, the county has the lowest number of empty houses per sq km in Gwent and places 19th among the 22 local authorities in Wales.

“A number of factors can influence the number of empty properties that are declared empty,” said a Monmouthshire council spokesman.

“Most, if not all, will be out of the control of the council, eg, some properties become empty because they are inherited following a death in the family and are waiting to be sold.

“Some formerly-occupied properties will have been bought and set for refurbishment. Others remain empty because covenants attached to them make them difficult to sell.”

Torfaen saw the number of empty houses fall from 417 to 325 in one year - a 22 per cent drop.

Despite this, there remains 2.58 empty homes per sq km.

A council spokesman said: “We make every effort to contact owners of empty properties and offer them assistance, including access to financial support, to bring their properties back into use.

“If a property is deemed to be unsanitary or unsafe then we may be required to take enforcement action that could result in the property being put back into use, but otherwise we rely on the owners of vacant properties to work with us.

“I would urge anyone who owns a property in Torfaen that may be sitting vacant to get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help.”

In Caerphilly, empty houses increased by six per cent from 958 to 1014 - the highest it has been in the authority in seven years.

Since 2010 each of the local authorities have had a hand in getting tenants back into the empties through direct action.

Torfaen has been the most effective by getting 856 homes reoccupied in this period, followed by 381 in Newport, 281 in Caerphilly, 256 in Blaenau Gwent’s and 211 in Monmouthshire.

There are various reasons for housing being left vacant, including houses in more deprived areas potentially appearing less desirable to live in.

Some houses which were being repaired or being sold could have been left due to financial constraints or other factors.