It’s a situation which isn’t just depressing to the eye. According to experts, it’s also particularly astonishing considering the chronic housing shortage which continues to plague the UK.

‘There are over 250,000 unoccupied houses in England which is an incredible stat when you consider how many people cannot get on the housing ladder, get a council house or, worse, are homeless,’ explains Harry Fenner, Navana Property Group chief.

Jack Malnick, managing director of Sell House Fast, agrees, telling the Mail that he finds the scale of long-term empty homes in the UK both ‘staggering’ and ‘deeply frustrating’. He adds: ‘At a time when social housing waiting lists are expanding and private rents are becoming unaffordable for many, it’s difficult to justify this level of dormancy in our housing stock.’

‘There are over 250,000 unoccupied houses in England,' says Harry Fenner, chief of Navana Property Group

However, ghosts towns are not the exclusive preserve of run-down areas. A feeling of abandonment can also prevail in desirable areas where the very cost of the properties drives investors to go elsewhere. In fact, some places with the highest rates of empty properties are in uber-pricy locations such as Westminster and Chelsea, because their wealthy owners live elsewhere.

Second homes have also unleashed ghost towns in rural and coastal areas, with local housing markets suffering with inflating property prices beyond what full-time residents can afford. ‘As more properties are snapped up for occasional use, the supply of primary residences shrinks – pushing both house prices and rents upward. In places like St Ives, Whitby and parts of Devon and Northumberland, average house prices have surged far beyond local wages,’ adds Jack Malnick.

That said, the gritty reality is that ghost towns reflect the end of communities. Daniel Mould, director of Tenant Angels Ltd says: ‘In these places, the issue isn’t just boarded-up shops, but the complete failure of housing for real people that is destroying communities. We hear from tenants every day who’ve been pushed out by rent hikes, ignored in dangerous buildings or illegally evicted as landlords abandon communities. The housing crisis isn’t just in the cities – it’s leaving scars across entire regions.

So we’ve analysed data relating to UK areas with the highest population decline and spoken to some of the country’s leading property experts to bring you a guide of Britain’s ghost towns.

1. LIVERPOOL, MERSEYSIDE

Liverpool has one of the highest rates of empty properties in the UK, with over 11,000 residential properties sitting unoccupied. Together with abandoned buildings and stalled regeneration projects, these vacant homes give parts of the city a ghostly feel.

Grade two-listed tenements in the Vauxhall area of Liverpool, now neglected and run down

Abandoned houses in Toxteth, Liverpool, waiting to be demolished

Toxteth, just south of the city centre, is a prime example. The area was blighted by economic stagnation and unemployment in the late 20th century, leaving many Victorian properties lying derelict. Though there have been several attempts at rejuvenation, many of the streets remain lost to redevelopment.

‘Seaforth is another example of neglect – an abandoned area of empty houses, derelict pubs and old communities,’ says Liam Gretton, owner of Liam Gretton Bespoke Estate Agent, on the Wirral peninsula. The 14-storey tower block, Vine House in Seaforth was first built during the high-rise boom of the 1960s – and has been vacant for 22 years.

2. KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA, LONDON

Despite their prestigious postcodes, both areas have seen a drop in the numbers of people living in these areas. Little wonder the local authority website states: ‘Empty properties are a wasted resource. They cost money to tax and maintain and represent a considerable amount of lost rental income. There are various schemes and grants available to owners of empty properties to encourage them to return these properties to use.’

Shuttered houses in Notting Hill, west London. Despite being a popular tourist destination, few live here long-term

Ornate brick houses in Chelsea, home to London's super rich - except many do not live here year-round

‘The problem is that properties in Chelsea and Kensington are treated more as “investment vehicles” by buyers rather than places to actually live, raise a family and become part of the community,’ says investor and entrepreneur Asad Khan, chief at Invest Dubai Real Estate.

‘This means that many sought-after areas in the capital are like “ghost towns” because nobody lives there – these properties are either second homes so only occupied partially part of the year or less or bought up by wealthy individuals as investments.’

3. WESTMINSTER, LONDON

Although a bustling hub thanks to its location as the historic seat of the government, the number of people living in Westminster has dropped by over 4,000 in the last ten years.

Chesterfield Hill in Mayfair, City of Westminster

In Mayfair streets seem eerily devoid of communities, with one lone car parked on this junction

‘Chesterfield Hill in the City of Westminster is said to be London’s most unoccupied neighbourhood with more than 50 percent of homes empty. Mansions can go from £20million and are often owned by multi-millionaires who will hire staff to protect these valuable houses,’ says Harry Fenner.

4. GWYNEDD, WALES

When it comes to empty properties, Gwynedd, on the north-west Welsh coast, tops the national league table with roughly 5,300 abandoned homes per 100,000 residents. The scenery may well be spectacular, but many cottages have slipped into long-term vacancy as tourism has become increasingly seasonal and local wages have lagged behind even modest renovation costs. 

Gwynedd in Wales looks idyllic but, like other coastal tourist towns, is lacking people in the winter

While city folk flock to Gwynedd in the summer, the winters at properties on the Caernarfon harbour sit empty

Last year it was reported that the overwhelming amount of empty homes prompted Gwynedd council to contact property owners to inquire about selling. According to the Office of National Statistics the average house price in Gwynedd was £196,000 in February 2025.

5. COVENTRY, WEST MIDLANDS

Ghost Town by The Specials captured the bleak atmosphere of Coventry in the 1980s. Fast forward four decades and things don’t appear to have improved: the West Midlands city has the most boarded-up shops in England, according to JDM Retail Consulting. The number of empty shops in the city soared from fewer than one in ten a decade ago, to almost four in 10 by 2024. This once ‘thriving’ cathedral city is now so crime-ridden and desolate that long-term residents are desperate to leave.

In Coventry city centre, closed shops like this casino are all too common a sight

The Coventry Canal Basin building in the West Midlands lies abandoned

It is ranked among the top 20 most dangerous cities in the UK and crime rates for shop-lifting have soared. Residents say this has coincided with shops closing – and a visible increase in the number of rough sleepers on the streets.

6. HARLOW, ESSEX

Like Basildon, Harlow was one of a number of new towns built in the first wave of development in the late 1940s and 1950s to create new homes for people bombed out of London in the Second World War.

The Harvey Centre in Harlow, Essex

An aerial view of Harlow town centre, complete with boarded-up shops and few people milling about

Sadly, the town often features in lists of the worst places to live in the UK, ‘dragged down’ by an eyesore of 24 trashed and empty shops next to each other.

7. STRETFORD, GREATER MANCHESTER

Once a close-knit community, Stretford is now home to a number of derelict houses, including the Highfield Close estate.

Aerial view of Stretford Mall in Greater Manchester. Highfield Close is just a ten-minute walk from here but is derelict

The 38 one-bed houses were built in 1947 on the cul-de-sac off Chester Road. They boasted potential until residents began hearing rumours that their landlord, Trafford Housing Trust, had plans to demolish the homes around eight years ago.

The bungalows were on a ‘high risk’ flood plain and built in a way that had ‘created severe damp and mould issues’, said Nathan Khider, owner of property consultancy Nathan K Real Estate. ‘In turn, they planned to rehome tenants and replace the bungalows with “new high-quality homes”, so many started moving out, slowly abandoning the estate.’

This has not yet materialised and old homes have been left to crumble and are beset by vandals.

8. BLACKPOOL, LANCASHIRE

Though it may have a reputation for its bustling Golden Mile as well as the thrilling rides of the Pleasure Beach, parts of this northern coastal town are decidedly abandoned. This is especially true around Blackpool’s South Shore, where an estimated 1,200 terraced houses – once occupied by seasonal workers – now stand dark for all but a few summer weeks.

An abandoned mini golf course in Blackpool, Lancashire

Formerly the Carlton House Hotel in Blackpool, now boarded up and derelict

The shift to short‑term lets has priced out full‑time tenants, and many offshore owners keep the deeds purely for capital appreciation.

The streets now have a high number of shuttered businesses and derelict buildings.

9. SWINDON, WILTSHIRE

At a meeting of the Better Swindon Committee in February, the town’s council leader Jim Robbins declared that Swindon town centre feels unsafe at night ‘because it is deserted’.

Swindon town centre paved with shuttered stores and rental signs

Swindon town centre from above

A number of high-profile stores have closed in Swindon town centre in recent years, leaving behind a flurry of ‘to let’ signs, depressing the surrounding residential areas.

Regents Circus now lies abandoned after major tenants closed, Morrisons closed its store just five years after opening in 2019, while Cineworld shut its cinema in October as part of a major ‘restructuring process’.

10. HORDEN, COUNTY DURHAM

This once-thriving coastal mining town has been in decline since the coal mine’s closure in 1987.

The town once held the record for the most coal mined in a single day, extracting 6,758 tonnes on May 9, 1930. During those years, Horden Colliery was known as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the region and the largest producing coal mine in Britain.

'Marra' sculpture by Ray Lonsdale in Horden Welfare Park in County Durham, marking its status as the 'jewel in the crown' of the coal region

Horden from above with neighbouring Peterlee in the background

In the year since its closure ‘nowt good has happened in Horden’ says one resident. The area has been in steep decline, with high unemployment rates and derelict housing.

Statistically, it is also one of the most dangerous places in County Durham, with 178.9 crimes per 1,000 people and 6,807 crimes committed in 2023.

11. GOSPORT, HAMPSHIRE

The high street has seen a real decline in recent years, with several shops closing their doors. It was the closure of the Poundstrecther store last year, though, which finally prompted locals to describe the area as a ‘ghost town’.

A dreary day at the run-down shopping high street in Gosport, Hampshire

Gosport's high street from above, just the other side of the marina to Portsmouth

Residents in this town, just west of Portsmouth, have expressed concerns about the increasing number of empty shops and the need for revitalisation to attract both businesses and shoppers back to the area.

One resident told the Mail: ‘Gosport used to be thriving, we were a community, everybody knew everybody, now you come down and three quarters of the shops are closed, we don’t have a police station and people don’t come out anymore.’

12. CAMDEN, LONDON

Despite attracting both locals and tourists with its markets and several infamous live music venues, Camden has one of the highest numbers of empty council homes in London. As of December 2024, there were 522 vacant social housing units, equating to about 24 empty homes per 10,000 residents.

Camden markets are a popular tourist destination, yet the area has one of the highest numbers of empty council homes in London

Camden's council and private properties lie empty as prices have been driven up 

While some of these properties are undergoing repairs or awaiting new tenants, others are in the process of being forcibly sold off due to the high costs of refurbishment.

13. GATESHEAD, TYNE AND WEAR

The centre of Gateshead, which stands in the shadow of the Newcastle skyline, used to be home to a thriving hub of shops and businesses. Shutters are permanently down on some stores and others have been abandoned, with rubble and rubbish visible through the windows.

Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, sits in the shadow of the iconic Newcastle city skyline...

...But its shopping centre, the Metrocentre, has plenty of empty units and does not attract many customers 

A £13million regeneration of the high street is to be downsized to help speed up its progress. But most of the buildings, which are due to be regenerated to bring people back to the town centre, have remained empty.

One of the area’s most popular pubs, Curleys, in the middle of Gateshead, is now boarded up after its closure earlier this year. It was reported last month that Gateshead Council bosses are preparing an anti-poverty strategy amid startling statistics showing one in three residents live in poverty.

14. HASTINGS, EAST SUSSEX

With closed and boarded-up businesses, as well as cracked and dangerous pavements, Hastings town centre is in danger of becoming a ‘ghost town’, according to some local residents.

Hastings city centre, in East Sussex, often sits empty

Like many places, it has boarded-up shops and quiet restaurants

People expressed their concerns over the current state of the town centre, after local David Clegg shared pictures on social media and asked: ‘Has Hastings town centre ever looked worse?’ His question sparked more than 300 reactions, with most agreeing and a number of people describing it as a ‘ghost town’.

Others pointed out that the only town centre businesses that seemed to be thriving were vape shops. One resident said: ‘It is heart-breaking to see my hometown looking so shabby.’