by business editor Trevor Sturgess

With one in five shops standing empty, Kent is one of the country's worst hit areas when it comes to the decline of the high street, according to figures released today.

The Midlands and the north east are the other regions badly affected.

Margate tops the table of medium-sized centres, with 27.2 per cent of shops empty.

Recession, internet shopping and out-of-town shopping centres like Bluewater and Westwood Cross have all been blamed for the high street decline.

The South and East, including London, saw a 33 per cent increase in vacancy rates in the second half of 2009, with average vacancy levels at just around nine per cent. Vacancy rates in this region have risen by 190 per cent since September 2007.

The LDC survey of 700 town centres shows vacancies across the UK have continued to increase over the last two quarters, although at a slightly lower rate than before.

Of the country’s large retail centres, Wolverhampton has been hit the worst, with 23.9 per cent of its shops standing empty, with Bradford, Middlesborough and Sheffield close behind.

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: "The fact of the matter is that Brits now do a lot more shopping over the web, so we’re seeing a fundamental reshaping of high streets."

She called for a thorough re-evaluation of what shops high streets needed and to use empty shops for other things. "We must encourage councils to make it easier for people to convert shops and people must accept that we won’t go back to the high streets of yesteryear."

The British Retail Consortium said recession was not the only cause of the problems facing town centres. They had a bright future if they were actively planned, managed and nurtured.

BRC director-general Stephen Robertson said: "High street shops are often battling big bills for business rates and rents, parking and access difficulties, as well as failure to manage and invest in the area.

"High streets are the heart of local communities and economies – providing jobs and essential services. Their future success cannot be left to chance. Town centres need to be actively managed by local authorities with their retailers, other businesses and residents."