The trendy Devon seaside resorts of Salcombe and Kingswear topped the list of hotspots for second homes, compiled by Knight Frank. Nearly one in ten properties in the South Hams district of Devon are registered as second homes.

‘In North Cornwall, Berwick-upon-Tweed and North Norfolk similar second home ratios (above 9%) are recorded,’ says Liam Bailey, head of research. ‘In our top ten all the locations, with the exception of South Lakeland (6) and arguably West Somerset (10), are coastal areas.

‘In London, concentrations of second homes can be even greater than the coastal hot-spots due to demand for pied-à-terres from long-distance commuters.  In the City of London nearly a quarter of all residential units are classified as second homes, with nearly 8% in Kensington & Chelsea (representing almost 7,000 properties).’

Top 10 rural and coastal second-home hotspots:

1    South Hams    9.8%    
2    North Cornwall    9.6%    
3    Berwick-upon-Tweed    9.5%    
4    North Norfolk    9.1%    
5    Penwith    8.5%    2,647    
6    South Lakeland    7.2%    
7    Scarborough    7.2%    
8    Purbeck    6.9%    1,469    
9    Great Yarmouth    5.9%    
10    West Somerset    5.7%