Frustrated residents in a coastal town have voted to try and drive out second home owners - as they're driving up housing prices.
A local referendum saw people in Whitby vote overwhelmingly to ban sales of newbuild homes and land to people who would not live there full-time.
People living in the North Yorkshire town say wealthy southerners are making it unaffordable, and the sense of community is being shattered.
Nearly 20 per cent of homes are second homes or holiday lets - more than double the proportion 20 years ago.
House prices have swelled to an average of £254,218 in the past year, with locals saying they are being priced out.
The average salary in the town is £18,900.
It has meant that young people who grew up in Whitby have been forced to move away, with property prices rising by 20 per cent in just a year.
Yesterday's ballot, which was called following a town meeting last month, reflects growing anger over homes which sit empty for much of the year.
However Scarborough Council said the result is "no more and no less than an expression of the views of the electorate of the parish who have voted in the poll, and is not binding on any organisation".
Whitby Community Network said the results "clearly demonstrate the strength of feeling in the local community".
It said in a statement: "We trust that our elected councillors will take note and take action.
"Thanks to all the people who helped to make the poll happen - to all the voters who turned out in person - and to all the staff who took part in the late night count."
Andrea Tyreman, 52, who backed the ban, told MailOnline that second home owners should be "burned out".
She said that on her street of 40 houses, just six are owned by locals, with the rest "full of Southerners".
Ms Tyreman said: "There is no community left. One house on the corner went for £290,000 How many locals can afford that?"
Around 23 per cent of the electorate of 10,000 turned out for the poll which was prompted by years of concerns in the port about the difficulties of local people finding housing amid the pressure caused by tourist lettings and second homes.
A study of council tax records in 2021 showed just under 20% of all homes in Whitby were either holiday lets or second homes.
Whitby follows in the footsteps of St Ives in Cornwall, which voted for similar restrictions on newbuilds being sold as second home.
Although the result is not legally binding at the moment, backers are hopeful that Scarborough Borough Council can bring in a ban by the end of the year.
The government last month announced plans to charge owners double the rate of council tax for second homes in a bid to tackle housing shortages.
This could be in place by next year.
According to the English Housing Survey, 772,000 households reported having a second home in 2018-19 - up from 572,000 a decade earlier.
A briefing document in the House of Commons Library earlier this year said the impact of second homes is "complex and multi-faceted".
It stated: "On the one hand there are concerns that where the number of second homes comprises a significant proportion of the housing market, it can reduce housing supply and push up house prices to unaffordable levels for local people.
"A high number of second homes which remain empty for long periods may also impact on local services and community cohesion.
"On the other hand, if second homes are used regularly as holiday homes they may boost local economies and the tourism trade, or a second home may enable someone to work in and contribute to the local economy of an area, while being able to return to a family home in another part of the country on a regular basis."
