NEARLY 4,000 households are on the council house waiting list in South Lakeland, according to the latest figures released by the charity Shelter.

At the end of March, there were 3,383 households in the queue, with 28 families having to be housed in temporary accommodation.

In Cumbria, 12,900 households are on the council house waiting list.

Shelter revealed the extent of the waiting list problem as new Government figures show fewer homes being built in the North West.

New homes started in the region between April to June this year were 1,790 compared to 3,030 for the same period last year – a drop of 40 per cent.

Shelter chief executive Sam Younger said: “These figures clearly show the devastating impact the recession is having on house building in the North West, at a time when more and more people are in desperate need of a decent home.”

“With an estimated 234,560 households on North West’s council housing waiting lists, we need to build thousands more homes to ensure future generations have a decent affordable place to live.”