A CHARITY today called for East Lancashire's empty houses to be used to help re-home people who cannot afford to live in London any more.

The Empty Homes Agency is calling on the areas with the highest proportion of vacant houses to offer them up for use.

Although partly-funded with Government cash, the EHA has no power over government policy.

But Jonathan Ellis, chief executive of the EHA, believes small pilot schemes already tried in some areas, including the relocation of handful of families from the south to parts of Padiham and Burnley, have proved a success.

According to newly-published figures from the Halifax, Burnley tops the list for councils with empty homes.

Pendle, Hyndburn and Blackburn with Darwen are all within the top 20, all with more than six per cent of houses empty.

Both Hyndburn and Burnley were identified by the mortgage lender as having the highest proportion of long-term empty houses - vacant for more than six months.

Mr Ellis said: "There is a great opportunity to use wasted assets.

"We have been moving people between London and the regions so they can live in more spacious houses, in some cases houses which in London would have been beyond their wildest dreams.

"I hope more boroughs with empty homes will come forward and help.

"With homeless people you have the problem, with empty homes, you have the solution."

Local politicians, however, expressed doubts about the scheme.

Peter Britcliffe, leader of Hyndburn Council, said: "I think there is a wonderful market available for places like Hyndburn. Some of the terraced houses renovated would compare to things we see in Islington. The point is whether we have the employment here."

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: "There is no doubt that the standard of living in Lancashire is better than in London with good schools, wonderful countryside and affordable homes. But I am always wary of organisations like this popping up with ideas which smack of a nanny state.

"Many of our houses aren't empty because there are too few people, but because they aren't up to scratch and no-one wants them. Tipping people out of London won't solve that."

According to the Halifax, 2,271 of Hyndburn's 35,748 houses are empty, representing 6.4 per cent. In Blackburn with Darwen, the figure is 3,709 from 58,477, or 6.3 per cent. In Pendle, 2,570 from 39,405 are empty, or 6.5 per cent.

And Burnley tops the national list, with 7.7 per cent of its homes lying empty, or 3,123 out of 40,442.