Government plans to tackle the "scourge" of second home ownership have been cautiously welcomed by councillors in Suffolk seaside towns with high numbers of empty properties.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove described second homes as a "scourge" as he announced that higher council tax can be charged on vacant homes, with the aim to "bring life back" to communities.

In Southwold, just two out of five properties are occupied full time, while neighbouring Aldeburgh also has a high volume of second homes.

Southwold town councillor David Beavan supported the plans, but wanted the money raised through the council tax charges on second homes to be provided to a Community Land Trust (CLT) to be spent on affordable housing for local residents.

However, he warned there was a risk second home owners could ‘flip’ their properties to evade the council tax charges by registering the second home as their permanent or primary residence.

This loophole could be closed if all councils across the country decided to adopt the council tax levy on second homes, Mr Beavan added.

There was also the temptation to set them up as businesses so they would qualify to pay business rates rather than council tax.

“Second home owners want to keep the community alive as much as we do. They don’t want the town to become holiday parks,” Mr Beavan said.

He added the ‘real effect’ of second homes was that it increased house prices, making homes unaffordable for local residents.

“The cost of empty houses and empty shops is bad for our economy so anything that could deal with that, I would welcome,” he said.

Aldeburgh Mayor Peter Palmer said: “It will be a positive if it achieves something, but I want to see the fine detail of what the government is planning.”

He described second homes as both "a bonus and a curse" with the downside being that they push up house prices, while on the upside they helped to keep businesses going.

“The problem is that when you look at the electoral register, there are hardly any permanent residents left. If everybody was a second home owner, there would be no one left to look after them,” he added.