The Daily Star's new 'Sherlock Homes' campaign – with Empty Property Hunters – aims to solve the scandal of 260,000 uninhabited properties around the UK. Report one via our dedicated web page and you could help end the housing crisis.
But Britain is not the only country that's harbouring some shocking abandoned buildings. Here we look at some of the creepiest…
Off the Rails: Canfranc International
Once the biggest train station in Europe, Canfranc International opened in 1928 in the village of Canfranc, in the Spanish Pyrenees. The art nouveau building was the centrepiece of a railway connecting France and Spain. It was closed in 1970 following a crash.
Keep Back: Bannerman Castle
Bannerman Castle, on New York's Pollepel Island, is a crumbling Scottish-style fortress built to store tons of explosives. It was almost destroyed in a massive blast in 1920 – then became inaccessible in 1950 when the ferry serving the island sank in a storm. A fire devastated the building's remains in 1969.
All at Sea: Maunsell Sea Forts
The Maunsell Sea Forts are a cluster of buildings on stilts in the Thames and Mersey estuaries. Built to help defend Britain during World War Two, they were decommissioned in the late 1950s and have been crumbling into the waves ever since.
In Bad Nick: Presidio Modelo
The Presidio Modelo, on the Isla de la Juventud in Cuba, was once a 3,000-capacity prison. But the population soared to an overcrowded 6,000 after Fidel Castro took power in 1959, leading to bloody riots and hunger strikes. It was closed in 1967 and now stands empty.
Something in the Water: Hồ Thủy Tiên Waterpark
The Hồ Thủy Tiên waterpark, in Huế, Vietnam, opened with a blaze of publicity in 2004. It cost millions to develop – but mysteriously closed in 2011 and has since been overtaken by weeds, graffiti artists and crocodiles. It is said to be a popular hangout for local teens.
Ghost Village: Kuk Po
Once a vibrant community of 500 people, Kuk Po has been in ruins since the 1970s. It is one of several villages built on the border of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, then gradually abandoned as residents left for the cities. Walkers can now visit its crumbling temples and schoolhouse.
Off Sick: Beelitz-Heilstätten
Built as a 19th century sanatorium, Berlin's Beelitz-Heilstätten infirmary became a military hospital that treated a young Adolf Hitler during World War One. The 60-building complex, including surgery and psychiatric wards, has been left to decay into the surrounding woodland since 1995.
Lava You Long Time: San Juan Parangaricutiro
The church of San Juan Parangaricutiro is all that remains of two villages in Mexico destroyed by the Parícutin volcano in the 1940s. The eruption started in 1943 and took eight years to slowly envelope the area, leaving only the altar and tower standing.
