NEARLY 1,000 private homes in Trafford were left empty for more than six months according to a recent survey.

The research by Halifax building society found that a total of 927 private dwellings in the borough were vacant in April 2005 - 1.2 per cent of all such houses.

This placed Trafford 201st out of 343 local authorities. Burnley had the most empty homes with 6.2 per cent, with Liverpool second (5.6 per cent) and Pendle third (5.1 per cent).

In total almost 300,000 homes across the country were found to have been empty for at least six months.

Tim Crawford, group economist at Halifax, said: "This is a number which clearly needs to be brought down, particularly in the context of the country's longer term housing needs."