Three teachers who were due to start in North-east schools after the summer have pulled out – blaming a lack of affordable housing in the region.

The teachers had been recruited for the new term to tackle the well-publicised shortage in Moray, with one appointed as a principal teacher.

But after enrolling her own son in a local school, she began looking for somewhere to live and was horrified to discover the only accommodation she could find would cost £800 a month.

And with the council-house waiting list at around 3,500, she had no option but to pull out of the move.

Calls have now been made for action to prevent teachers, who could put an end to the area’s teacher shortages, being priced out of the area in future.

Council leader George Alexander said: “We need to do something about it because we can’t continue to lose professionals from this area.

“It makes you wonder if we should return to the situation where we make council houses available to professionals like police and teachers.”