Kingston has been crowned the ghost homes capital of the UK with some 2,000 unoccupied properties.

The Greater London borough tops a list of locations with the most vacant homes – highlighting how the blight on Britain's communities spans rich and poor areas alike.

There are an estimated 265,000 homes that have been empty for more than six months in the UK at any one time, according to Empty Property Hunters.

Granted its royal title in 1927, first placed Kingston is steeped in history and is home to some of the country's best schools, a university and huge shopping centre.

Average house prices are £572,000 and while average salaries sit at around £48,000, the affluent borough is a popular commuter hub for London's high-powered execs and officials.

A detached house in Kingston would set you back an eye-watering £1.26million, while a humble terrace costs nearly £600,000 in today's market.

But, behind the prestigious façade hides another story.

Nestled amongst the six-figure town houses and trendy riverside flats lie vacant properties that no one currently calls home.

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Of the borough's roughly 70,500 dwellings, some 2.8 per cent are believed to be unoccupied, suggesting some 1,974 homes are currently empty.

One such home found on Canbury Park Road in the borough has been unoccupied for around a decade, becoming ever more overgrown and weather-worn with each passing year.



A home on Canbury Park Road in Kingston has been unoccupied for around a decade, becoming ever more overgrown and weather-worn with each passing year (Image via Google Maps)

The inside is piled high with boxes and belongings, a lifetime's worth of wares left to gather dust in the home neighbours say is little more than a forgotten storage facility.

Also among the top ten areas for the most empty homes in the UK are:

2. Kensington and Chelsea - 2.0 per cent

3. Durham - 1.9 per cent

4. Liverpool - 1.8 per cent

5. Blackpool - 1.8 per cent

6. Middlesbrough - 1.7 per cent

7. Hastings - 1.7 per cent

8. Hartlepool - 1.6 per cent

9. North Yorkshire - 1.6 per cent

10. Burnley - 1.5 per cent

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