BRADFORD is in the top 10 areas with longer-term houses that have been empty for two or more years in England, according to a study.

A total of 1,279 properties in the Bradford district have stood empty for two years or more at a collective value of £179 million. This places Bradford in eighth place for local authorities in England. Cheshire West and Chester Council is top with 2,286 properties.

A total of 165 of those houses have been empty for more 10 years or more, according to the study by Admiral.

Bradford also has the highest number of longer-term vacant houses in Yorkshire of two years or more.

The empty properties in Yorkshire that have stood empty for two or more years are collectively valued at £628m.

Calderdale comes second with 644 properties reported empty for more than two years.

However, it has the highest ratio regionally of empty homes compared to the number of properties in the council, with 6.7 per 1,000 properties being empty for two or more years.

Admiral has analysed government data as well as gathered data from local councils through Freedom of Information requests to investigate where in Yorkshire and the Humber the most homes have been sitting empty and unused for the longest periods of time.

The research has revealed that a total of more 25,000 properties collectively worth £3B have been sitting empty across Yorkshire for months and years.

In England overall, a total of 268,385 houses have stood vacant for at least six months at a collective value of £66.8 billion. That is equivalent to 11 in every 1,000 houses.