Prestatyn Pontins used to house homeless families

A holiday camp is being used to house homeless people because of "growing pressure" on a council's waiting list.

Flintshire council confirmed it had used the Pontins site in Prestatyn to put up families in an emergency.

It said it occasionally used Pontins for short stays as the accommodation available gave larger families access to cooking facilities.

The council is looking to build social housing "to help ease the problem".

Clare Budden, the council's community and enterprise chief officer, said: "There are currently just over 1,600 people on Flintshire County Council's waiting list for housing.

"This compares with just over 1,200 at the end of September 2016, demonstrating the growing need for social housing in the area.

"The council occasionally uses Pontins at Prestatyn for short stays to accommodate people in need of emergency accommodation, say after a fire or where rented accommodation is deemed unsuitable for health and safety."

As well as building new housing, the council has also suspended Right to Buy legislation, which enabled tenants to buy council houses at a discount.