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Gwynedd has the highest number of second or holiday homes of any county in Wales.

Data published by Stats Wales show there 5,626 second homes which are liable for council tax.

That’s more than double the amount in Pembrokeshire (2801) which has the second highest amount in the country.

Conwy comes second in North Wales with 1473 second homes, closely followed by Anglesey which has 1471.

Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas ir Iaith says the scale of second home ownership in Gwynedd causes “massive problems” for the language, fuel house prices and hit jobs and services in isolated rural communities.

Gwynedd Council, in a bid to halt the increase in second home ownership, voted to slap a 50% council tax hike on them in December , from 2018

That move has won the backing of Cymdeithas.

Its sustainable communities spokeswoman Tasmin Davies said: “House prices have risen in Wales by 16% since 2008 and there were more than 5000 homeless households last year.

“Yet there are thousands of homes lying empty all over the country - many of them are second homes bought for holidays which are unoccupied for most of the year.

“It’s a massive problem for the language.

“In a community where a large percentage of the homes are empty for most of the year, services suffer."

She added: “A loss of services means fewer jobs for permanent residents, and a village with no school or shop.

“High house prices and poor economic prospects contribute to an outmigration of more than 5,000 Welsh speakers every year, damaging the Welsh language and culture.

“An excess of second homes is not a problem unique to Wales.

“Local authorities in England have tried to restrict them.

“We fully support a package of measures, including raising council tax on second homes, to influence an out of control housing market and halt the decline of communities.

“The extra stamp duty brought in by the Westminster government is also an attempt to discourage people from buying more than one house.”

The increased rates for Gwynedd will come into effect from 2018, following earlier decisions in Flintshire, Powys and Pembrokeshire to raise rates by 50% from 2017.

Local authorities in Anglesey and Ceredigion have also agreed to a 25% hike, while other councils such as Conwy are considering similar increases under powers introduced by the Welsh Government.

In 2013 a study by the GMB found Gwynedd had the highest rate of second home ownership across England and Wales.