MORE than one in 20 residential properties in West Somerset is a second home, putting the district in the top ten of second home "hotspots" in England.

The district is ranked above many parts of Devon and Cornwall for its second home popularity and is tenth in the league of local authorities with the highest proportion of second home ownership.

According to figures from West Somerset Council, some 5.7 per cent of the area's 17,400 homes are not lived in all year as the number of people buying holiday homes reaches record levels.

Nationally, it is estimated that nearly 250,000 Britons own two properties and experts are predicting the boom will continue this year, with buyers looking at holiday homes as investments rather than luxuries.

But the trend for second homes is a mixed blessing for residents, with many first-time buyers being priced out of the property market altogether.

The problem is particularly acute on Exmoor and although the most recent house price survey in April found the average price had dropped by four per cent in the last year, it was still 64 per cent above the English average.

Currently, the average house price on Exmoor is around £333,398, which remains well beyond the means of many local people.

The average gross household income for the national park is £28,132, which means that even to buy a house within the lower priced properties, residents need to borrow almost six times their income.

Exmoor National Park Authority said it had attempted to address the problem by adopting specialist housing policies to ensure all new-build housing was affordable and for local people.

Across West Somerset and Exmoor, 55 affordable homes for local people were either built or created by bringing empty properties back into use during the 2009/10 financial year.

These included 24 in Alcombe, 14 in Watchet, ten in Exford, two in Stogursey, one in Minehead and a further four in locations close to Wheddon Cross and Simonsbath.

But despite the success, demand for affordable properties continues to outstrip supply with an estimated 271 new affordable homes needed annually in the district.

At the time the figures were released, Ian Timms, the council's group manager for housing and community, said: "The delivery of affordable homes in West Somerset is challenging because so much of the area is protected through planning laws and the economic downturn has made some developers wary of investing."

He said new developments were currently underway in Cutcombe, Stogumber and Williton, while schemes in Dulverton and Watchet were due to be "brought forward".

However, the authority will have to deliver at least 130 new affordable homes in the current financial year to stay on target - again far lower than the number of affordable properties actually needed in the district.

And according to national estate agency Knight Frank the situation could be exacerbated even further by the current British holiday trend for "staycations" as people find they cannot afford to travel abroad.

The collapse in the value of sterling also means it is now often cheaper for people to buy a cottage in the UK than a holiday home overseas.

Cllr Keith Turner, the district council's lead member for housing, said second home owners could ease the impact of their purchases on local communities by letting out their homes.

"While I accept that we cannot stop it, it would be a step in the right direction if people who only use the homes for the odd weekend would let the properties to other holidaymakers year-round.

"While this won't help people seeking affordable homes, it would help support the rural economy by bringing in more visitors, which is vital in the current economic climate."

But he said it was clear second home ownership was impacting on the district.

"Homes that are only used for a number of weeks will not put the same money into the economy as a household that is living in a property all year.

"It also increases pressure on the housing market, driving up prices so that local homes are not affordable for people.

"We make sure affordable housing stock cannot be sold on the open market through covenants, which state that homes must remain affordable for local people forever.

"However, there are no powers to stop people buying second homes on the open market."