Housing officers are tracking down owners of empty properties to come up with a plan to make use of them.

Despite the value of properties in the city and the lack of housing, some homes in East Brighton are left standing empty - for example, the owner may have died and left the house to someone outside the city not able to maintain it.

The properties fall into disrepair and become impossible to rent or sell.

The aim is to identify all empty privately-owned homes in east Brighton and fill them, either with tenants or by taking action to make sure they sell.

The area's community safety team, with the help of Brighton and Hove City Council, has already had some success with the project.

Two long-term problem properties have been sold and reoccupied after the owners were traced.

David Dunderdale, the community safety team project worker for eb4u, the Government scheme to regenerate east Brighton, has also identified another property, which is being refurbished using a council grant and turned into three flats which will be rented to tenants nominated by the council.

A spokesman for eb4u said: "Sometimes the properties become a burden on those who are left them. They may have other stresses in their life and the properties may not be a priority."

Emma Kumar, the council's empty property officer, said: "The local knowledge David brings to the process by being 'on the ground' is certainly reaping rewards."

John Mitchell, the eb4u community safety team leader, said: "Several residents have expressed concerns about the problems empty properties cause. As well as having a negative effect on the appearance of neighbourhoods, they can attract behaviour that is a nuisance to residents and cause danger to young people."

The community safety team has spent the past two years introducing a number of new initiatives into East Brighton to cut crime. These include CCTV cameras, dedicated beat officers and the use of acceptable behaviour contracts and anti-social behaviour orders.