FAMILIES are being deprived of much-needed housing as Scotland’s towns and cities are held hostage to holiday homes, it has been claimed.

Soaring numbers of short-term lets have been blamed for worsening the country's housing crisis, while up to half of all properties in some rural villages are being used as second homes.

Now radical proposals to tighten planning laws could see councils handed greater powers to crack down on people misusing companies such as Airbnb, which allows anyone to rent out a flat or house to tourists.

Scottish Green MSP Andy Wightman wants to change upcoming legislation to force those seeking to a convert a property from a sole or main residence to either a short-term let or a holiday home to obtain full planning consent.

He said the uncontrolled and rapid rise of holiday lets was “depriving families and individuals of badly-needed long-term homes, worsening Scotland's housing crisis”, and accused the Scottish Government of doing little to address the issue.

He said: "Since being elected in 2016 I've been inundated by Edinburgh constituents concerned about the loss of housing supply and an increase in anti-social behaviour.

“And in our rural communities such as the East Neuk of Fife and parts of the West Highlands and Cairngorms, local people and families are being forced into inappropriate temporary accommodation or forced to leave the area because profit-driven interests have restricted the housing supply.”

Picturesque seaside towns on the East Neuk of Fife have been particularly affected.

Research by Mr Wightman previously found 45 per cent of properties in the neighbouring villages of Elie and Earlsferry are second homes – although locals insist the real figure is even higher.

Fife councillor Bill Porteous, who lives in nearby St Monans, said he was supportive of any proposals which might help alleviate the crisis.

He said: “I’m not against second homes. The issue I have with second homes is that certain of them are vacant for a great part of the year, and as a result of that there’s no involvement in the community, there no business for shops and there’s no folk about.

“The issue when you talk about Elie and Earlsferry is that there are already a large number of existing second homes.

“Nothing in legislation is going to change that, but what we would like to see is something to encourage them to be used more."

He said it was crucial to find a balance between tourists and long-term residents, adding: “If you don’t have young families, you don’t have kids. And if you don’t have kids, you threaten the local schools.”

In Edinburgh, residents fear being pushed out of the historic centre due to the proliferation of short-term lets. Mr Wightman said their rapid expansion is depriving the city of £10.6 million in taxes each year.

Professor Cliff Hague, chair of heritage group the Cockburn Association, backed the MSP's proposed changes but insisted “the devil is in the details”.

He also raised concerns over how the new rules would be enforced, and the impact they could have on an already over-stretched planning system.

Kate Campbell, housing and economy leader at Edinburgh Council, said it already used its own planning policy to enforce short-term lets – but insisted this was “resource intensive”.

She said the council was examining the issue in detail, with a report due out next month.

She added: “There are a number of different ways to address short-term lets but the view we have taken is that a licensing system would be most helpful.

“This would give us the power to control the concentration and numbers of short-term lets in the city. It would also allow us to put in place health and safety requirements and a ‘fit and proper person’ test for landlords.”

Research by the Scottish Greens recently revealed more than 100,000 properties are lying empty or underused across Scotland.

Mr Wightman’s proposed amendment to the upcoming Planning Bill would allow councils to determine applications on the basis of their own policy, fully backed up by legislation. The changes would not affect homeowners or occupiers who only rent out a room.

SNP planning minister Kevin Stewart said the Government is “committed to a range of actions, including establishing a delivery group which will look at the issues around short-term lets, identify the existing powers local authorities have and whether further measures are required, and explore ways of piloting solutions”.