FAMILIES are swapping hectic city lives in south London for a more peaceful existence in the Wear Valley under a scheme to fill empty council houses.

Five families have already moved to the Wear Valley district from the London borough of Lewisham, and more than 30 more have applied to be re-housed in the area.

The move is part of the national Lawn Scheme, which aims to balance demand for council properties across the country.

Wear Valley District Council signed up to the scheme a year ago, and since March it has been actively publicising spare houses that it wants to fill.

Of the five London authorities that the district council has approached, Lewisham council is the first to take advantage of the initiative in Wear Valley.

Matching people from Lewisham council's massive housing waiting list to empty homes across the Wear Valley enables both authorities to tackle opposing problems.

In Wear Valley there are about 300 empty council houses, which can attract anti-social behaviour and fall into a state of disrepair, blighting local communities.

Money is available from Lewisham council to bring the houses up to standard, with repairs including fitting central heating boilers and new kitchens.

In Lewisham, the scheme is helping to find suitable homes for some of the 25,000 families on the council waiting list.

Richard Roddam, service development officer at Wear Valley District Council, said: "People have always been able to apply for council houses across the country, every application is assessed on the same housing needs points basis.

"Feedback from the customer panel and residents meetings told us that people want to see empty properties filling, so we joined the Lawn Scheme and are actively promoting the area to London boroughs.

"Pensioners and families where parents have secured jobs before their arrival have already moved in and are very happy with the standard of living."

He said the council was looking at other ways to occupy surplus council houses, including using estate agent-style boards and advertising on the Internet.

It could also team up with Catterick Garrison Army base to offer properties to soldiers who have left the forces early, possibly for medical reasons.