Mayor urged to make empty houses available to families

Boris Johnson was under pressure today to "get to grips" with London's housing crisis after new figures showed more than 80,000 properties were lying empty.

Soaring repossessions and a glut of new-build flats have been blamed for an increase in the number of vacant properties in the capital.

The figures from the Empty Homes Agency showed that between 2007 and last year the number increased from 80,691 to 82,327, despite falling the previous year.

Campaigners have argued the properties should be used to ease the shortage in London where thousands of families are struggling to find a home.