St Albans District Council is considering taking action to compulsorily purchase three empty houses in St Albans to help bring them back into use.

The listed properties are all in a poor state of repair and have been vacant since the 1980s.

They are located in the St Albans Conservation Area and the council has received complaints from local residents and Councillors about their condition.

The council has contacted the owner of the properties on several occasions asking for work to be carried to make the houses suitable for residential use.

The owner has not carried out the work needed to make the houses habitable again.

Local authorities can apply to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for a Compulsory Purchase Order to bring empty properties back into use.