HOUSING chiefs in Chester-le-Street have replied to suggestions that the region's councils are being forced to keep homes empty for asylum-seekers.

It has been reported that at least 100 North-East council homes are standing empty after a predicted flood of asylum-seekers failed to materialise.

But Chester-le-Street District Council's housing department says it is still in talks with the Home Office and has not set a single house aside for foreign nationals.

Councils across the region who say they were obliged to sign agreements with the Home Office to provide refugee accommodation are now furious that the homes are not being put to use.

Wear Valley District Council is planning to bill the Government for the thousands of pounds it has cost to keep the houses in repair and available to asylum-seekers.

The leader of Derwentside District Council has also warned that if asylum-seekers do not arrive soon, it will put its homes back on the general waiting list.

But Brian O'Doherty, director of housing at Chester-le-Street District Council, says they have not been pressurised by the Home Office to keep council houses empty.

He says negotiations with the Government are still taking place and none of County Durham's other seven district councils are obliged to take on asylum-seekers.

He said: "There are no houses standing empty in Chester-le-Street for this purpose."

It has been reported that a consortium of district councils in County Durham signed contacts with the National Asylum Support Service, a Home Office department, in September last year.

Under the terms of the contract, they agreed to find a set amount of properties for their allocation of refugees, but no one has yet arrived.

Derwentside District Council leader Alex Watson said the idea of the contract was to organise proper accommodation for refugees, dispersed evenly throughout districts.

In Derwentside, they were told to expect the first of about 90 families three months ago.

Mr Watson said: "We all accepted our responsibilities that we should take our share. We were told that our first refugees would be coming in early January, but they never materialised."

A Home Office spokesman said councils had to be prepared for asylum seekers and this could result in some empty houses.