The number of vacant properties in Scotland has soared to a four-year high, newly published figures have revealed.

More than 103,000 homes are lying empty – 4.2% of the country’s total.

The highest number are found in the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute, while North Lanarkshire enjoys the smallest proportion of vacant properties.

The Bank of Scotland

survey said the latest figure of 103,433 was the highest since 2004, when 104,668 empty properties were recorded.

Areas with high levels of vacancies were typically those where residents took home lower than average earnings, in most cases about 12% lower.

In the Western Isles 1850 homes were unoccupied –13.2% of all properties.

Economist Suren Thiru said: “It is concerning that the number of vacant homes in Scotland has increased following years of decline. In many cases, high levels of vacant homes reflect

relatively high levels of deprivation and lower than average earnings.”

In North Lanarkshire just 1.6% of homes lay empty. In Aberdeen the figure stood at 3.9% and the proportion of vacancies in both Glasgow and Edinburgh was slightly higher at 4.1%. Dundee was higher still at 7.4%. The Orkney Isles saw the biggest drop in the number of empty homes. That figure went down from 1406 in 2003 to 904 in September 2008.

A vacant home was classed as a public or private dwelling which was empty because it was between occupants, undergoing modernisation or was a second home. Homes unoccupied due to disrepair and those awaiting demolition were also included.