One in four properties are listed as an Airbnb in some parts of the country, amid concerns the short-term lets are exacerbating the housing crisis in some areas.

In Edinburgh Old Town there were 29 active listings for every 100 properties, analysis by The Guardian found.

And in the north-west Skye, there were 25 listings for every 100 properties.

In England the highest rate of Airbnb lets were in Woolacombe, Georgeham and Croyde in Devon, where there were 23 listings for every 100 properties.

The findings underline concerns that short-term lets are taking away from longer-term lets, or permanent homes.

Sales director of specialist mortgages at HTB, Alex Upton, recently warned that lenders would be increasingly looking out for landlords breaking the terms of their buy-to-let mortgages by using their properties for Airbnb or other similar services.

50k properties lost

Recent research by ARLA Propertymark found that around 50,000 properties are unavailable for long-term tenants, as landlord switch to short term lets.

The number of active listings on Airbnb in the UK increased by a third to 223,000 in 2018 from 168,000 in 2017, the study produced with Capital Economics showed.

Burdensome legislation on landlords renting to long-term tenants were part of the reason driving the change, the trade body said.

Independent councillor in St Ives, Cornwall, Andrew Mitchell told The Guardian he is worried about the lack of regulation on holiday lets through Airbnb.

He said: “All those B&B owners and small hoteliers are having to pay £5,000 to £10,000 for a fire alarm system, £500-£1,000 a year for refuge collection, so there’s a bit of resentment from those operators that there isn’t a level playing field.”