HOMELESSNESS and housing problems in 2017 have been described as "scandalous" by a South Lakes MP, as a Mail investigation finds almost 2,000 empty homes around the area.

The figures, released to the Mail through a Freedom of Information request, show a total of 1,910 empty homes in Barrow, Ulverston and Millom.

It has led to calls for the government to do more to help those struggling to keep a roof over their head.

John Woodcock, MP for Barrow and Furness, said: "Under the last Labour government there was a concerted and highly effective national effort to eliminate homelessness across the country, but sadly since 2010 it has been on the rise in Furness and elsewhere.

"Council budgets have been hammered by the Tory government and with no sign of extra money being made available, we need to look at more inventive ways to tackle the problem, including the use of vacant properties.

"Ultimately though this problem will never be solved without the kind of serious commitment from central government that has been lacking since the Tories came to power."

Barrow has the majority of the empty houses found, with a total of 1,562 privately owned properties, including a borough-high 316 on Barrow Island.

There were also 53 council-owned properties, including 21 in Ormsgill, standing empty. Although four were found to be undergoing major works, the remaining 49 are vacant and awaiting possession.

Jan Sharp, housing operations manager at Barrow Borough Council, said: "The council's houses which may be empty now won't be standing empty for long. They'll all be going through the re-let process immediately and as soon as repairs are carried out if necessary.

"There is hidden homelessness across the country and in Barrow too. We know there are people who are homeless but some of those choose not to engage with the services available."

The Barrow community was left shocked following the deaths of two homeless people in September and October last year.

Paul Hawkrigg was found dead in shrubbery behind Premier Tiles by Channelside in Barrow, while 38-year-old heroin addict Terry Newby was found a month later.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, joined Mr Woodcock in calling for the government to do more to protect rough sleepers on the streets.

He said: "It is scandalous that, in 21st century Britain, there are still people who do not have a roof over their heads and a place to call home.

"The government must take the problem of homelessness seriously and do far more to deal with it and ensure that everyone has a decent place to live.

"This is not only morally right, it will also help to give those individuals a stable foundation on which to build their lives."

At the end of March 2017, 97 houses had been empty, unoccupied and unfurnished for more than six months in Ulverston. Of these, seven had been empty since 2005.

South Lakeland District Council has been recognised as a national centre of excellence for its work tackling empty homes. Across the district, the council aims to bring a minimum of 70 empty homes back into use every year.

Lynne Leach, empty homes officer at the council, said: "There are a variety of reasons why properties become empty. As a council we try to identify properties that have become long-term empty and then attempted to contact the owners to see if there are any ways we can help them.

"Often they are in a poor state of repair so we can give practical help, or offer advice and support to help them sell or rent the property."

In Millom, the number of empty properties was found to be 198 as of April 2017. Copeland Borough Council confirmed there were two households in the town at risk of homelessness that the council were helping to rehouse.

A spokesman for the council said: "We are always looking to reduce the number of empty homes and we actively work with the owners of empty properties to encourage, assist and sometimes enforce change.

"We have an empty homes officer in place working specifically with home owners. The officer locates empty homes, prioritises them and contacts a selection.

"Owners are firstly helped to look at the best way of improving and using the property. This could mean advising on help to let properties, linking them with agencies which can assist with repairs so they can be sold, or advising on auctioning properties.

"When appropriate, we explain what enforcement action could be taken should the home deteriorate."