Kent’s holiday home hotspots have been revealed – amid growing calls for their spiralling numbers to be curbed.

New data shows the district with the most is Thanet, which also had the largest increase last year.

The county’s coastal areas are the most popular, with Dover,Folkestone and Hythe, Swale and the Canterbury district each having more than 1,000 holiday homes.

At the other end of the scale is Gravesham, which has just 29.

Thanet has 1,907 holiday homes, with that figure increasing by 10% in 2022 compared to 2021.

Buyers are attracted by Margate’s trendy reputation, the beautiful beaches in Broadstairs and Ramsgate’s historic harbour.

But Thanet District Council’s (TDC) deputy leader says the huge number of properties being snapped up as holiday homes is making it harder for people to rent or buy.

“There is a national housing crisis and the situation in Thanet is no exception,” Cllr Whitehead said.

“People purchasing second homes in the district is a contributing factor. The outcome is that there are fewer homes available to rent or purchase.

“The council is in agreement that we need to act, in order to relieve the pressure.”

Cllr Whitehead hopes the government will soon pass new legislation making it less attractive to own second homes.

The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, spearheaded by housing secretary Michael Gove, is currently at the report stage in the House of Lords, where amendments can be made.

When it finally becomes law, councils will be able to adopt the power to double council tax on long-term empty and second homes.

Cllr Whitehead says it allow TDC to “increase council tax receipts on properties that could be available to buy or rent, but are instead second homes”.

She said: “The anticipated outcome is that second homes will become less attractive to investors, freeing up properties for people who want to live in Thanet all year round.

“In relation to planning stipulations, there is currently no mechanism for controlling second homes in Thanet. The government did however consult on proposals for a new planning use class for short-term lets and a new registration scheme earlier this year.

“We await the outcome of these proposals, and we will consider this as part of the process to update Thanet’s Local Plan.”

Cllr Whitehead also highlighted that TDC has committed to buying or building at least 400 new affordable rented homes by 2027.

The authority has already purchased 41 properties at Spitfire Green in Ramsgate, which will be let at affordable rates.

The second biggest increase in holiday homes was in the Dover district, which now has 1,298. Many of these are in Deal, which was recently described by The Telegraph as one of Britain’s best “commutable coastal towns”.

Another area proving popular with Londoners is Folkestone and Hythe, which had the third biggest rise in holiday homes, taking its total to 1,147.

Earlier this year, Norman and Carole Garrud, who have lived next to an Airbnb in South Road, Hythe, for the past two years, told KentOnline: “I would sooner have an Airbnb next door, than a family with noisy children."

The married couple went on to say the holiday home is “filled for more than 30 weeks of the year and has been a positive for us”.

On the other hand, Alison Blackburn, who works in Folkestone Wholefoods, said she would love to live in the town – but can't afford to.

"Even five years ago it was a struggle and I had to move to Dover instead, but now it is even harder,” she said.

Also high up on the list is the Canterbury district - which includes seaside towns Herne Bay and Whitstable.

People living in Whitstable told KentOnline earlier this year how they felt they were being driven from their homes by the sheer number of holiday lets.

Resident Jonathan Hollow said: “Having this feeling where you know fewer of your neighbours is resulting in a deterioration in the life of the community in Whitstable.”

Elsewhere in the county, Ashford has a total of 552 holiday homes in 2022. This is the same amount as the previous year.

Out of the 119,080 properties in Medway, just 289 of them are holiday homes.

The figures were compiled by campaign group Action on Empty Homes.

Each year it analyses the government’s official data on long-term empty homes - dwellings that have been unoccupied and substantially unfurnished for at least two years.

The district with the biggest increase in this type of property in 2022 was Folkestone and Hythe, with a rise of 8% bringing the total to 709.

In Dartford, there were just 237 long-term empty homes.