John has been living next to an empty home in York for years. "It has become derelict, attracts criminals … has broken windows and has damaged my walls," he says.

Bill's home in Oxfordshire looks out on a property that has been unused for at least a decade, even though there's demand for housing in the area. "It seems such a waste on so many levels," he says.

Tracy walks past a whole block in east London that has been empty since it was built at the height of the housing boom. "The block backs on to the Lee Navigation and has views directly over the Olympic Stadium, but sadly no one is getting to enjoy the view," she says.

These are some of an estimated 300,000 homes in England that have lain empty for more than six months and among scores of stories we heard from readers when we asked you to contact us about disused properties in your neighbourhoods.

The government's housing strategy, released last month, included £100m to try to bring some of these properties back into use and a consultation on allowing local councils to charge an "empty homes premium" when a property has been out of use for longer than two years. Article Continued via 'The Guardian'