ONE hundred thousand young people under the age of 35 will be forced to leave their local villages in the next three yeas, driven out by soaring house prices.

This is the shocking conclusion of a report issued today (May 11) by the National Housing Federation, which says the exodus will mean the closure of schools, shops and transport services.

This will come as no surprise for people in the Yorkshire Dales because this process has already been underway for 20 years or more. But that fact that the situation has now been recognised on the national scene will increase the pressure of the drive to build more affordable homes.

This is already causing major disquiet in Skipton and many villages in the Craven area of the Dales outside the national park, where many local feel they are being swamped by newcomers, and the national park itself is also pursuing the possibility of small-scale affordable home developments.