Kent has 18,000 homes which are empty or derelict, according to a housing survey conducted by Kent County Council.

The council is this week attempting to boost a campaign to bring them back into use to provide much-needed homes for families.

It comes as Kent's countryside is increasingly in demand for developers looking to build new houses.

Maidstone council is in the process of setting a target for the number of new homes to be built in the borough. It is widely expected to be set at 11,000 new homes by 2026.

But KCC believes some of the demand for those homes could be met by revamping empty homes to make them habitable again.

Over the last five years its No Use Empty campaign, which offered loans to finance rebuild derelict homes, has brought 1,266 homes back into use.

The campaign is run in partnership with all 12 district councils in Kent. It also offers councils to support to make compulsory purchases of derelict homes when all other options are exhausted.

KCC discussed the issue of empty homes both in Kent and nationally at a conference at the Village Hotel, in Sandling, this week.

The council said that empty homes "deny local people much-needed homes and affects the whole community by attracting vandalism and anti-social behaviour".

Cllr Kevin Lynes (Con), KCC cabinet member for regeneration, said: "Empty and derelict properties are a huge waste of badly-needed homes in the county. This scheme is fantastic news for our residents, who need good-quality accommodation, and fantastic news for the communities that those properties are in.

“The enormous success of No Use Empty highlights just how critical the issue of empty housing is in the county. We’re so pleased we have been able to assist more people in giving a new lease of life to so many empty homes.”