The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames has today been crowned the ghost homes capital of the UK with some 2,000 unoccupied properties.

The Greater London borough tops a list of locations with the most vacant homes – highlighting how the blight on Britain's communities spans rich and poor areas alike.

There are an estimated 265,000 homes that have been empty for more than six months in the UK at any one time, according to Empty Property Hunters.

Granted its royal title in 1927, first placed Kingston is steeped in history and is home to some of the country's best schools, a university and huge shopping centre.

Average house prices are £572,000 and while average salaries sit at around £48,000, the affluent borough is a popular commuter hub for London's high-powered execs and officials.

A detached house in the trendy southwest borough would set you back an eye-watering £1.26million, while a humble terrace costs nearly £600,000 in today's market.

But, behind the prestigious façade hides another story. 

Nestled amongst the six-figure town houses and trendy riverside flats lie vacant properties that no one currently calls home.

Of the borough's roughly 70,500 dwellings, some 2.8 per cent are believed to be unoccupied, suggesting some 1,974 homes are currently empty.

One such home found on Canbury Park Road in the borough has been unoccupied for around a decade, becoming ever more overgrown and weather-worn with each passing year.

The inside is piled high with boxes and belongings, a lifetime's worth of wares left to gather dust in the home neighbours say is little more than a forgotten storage facility.

Second on the ranking of unoccupied properties is the exclusive borough of Kensington and Chelsea – which is home to a number of celebrities and VIPs. 

It is the UK's most expensive place to live, where average homes cost £1.25million.

Meanwhile, in one of London's most prestigious addresses, just a stone's throw from world-famous Harrods in Knightsbridge, sits another empty home.

Refurbishment has stalled at the five-storey townhouse on Trevor Square, with little visible activity for several months, according to Empty Property Hunters.

The nation's cheapest place to buy a house, Burnley – where average homes cost £128,826 - makes the bottom of the top 10 list. 

Here, a two-bed terrace is now boarded up after being broken into and fires started since standing empty following the death of its owner.

The new figures come as Britain faces a housing crisis, with London-based Empty Property Hunters on a mission to bring unoccupied homes back into use.

The firm works with an army of 'hunters' to spot empty properties, who are paid £20 for every one they report. 

If Empty Property Hunters go on to sell the property, they stand to make one per cent of the purchase price.

Empty Property Hunters founder Simon Taylor said: 'Rich area, poor area – empty homes are found in all corners of the country, proving no neighbourhood is immune.

'If you're aware of a vacant home, or spot one while you're out and about, get in touch – you could make an easy £20 – and stand to rake in even more if we go on to buy it.'