A number of new council houses have been handed over at the Kenilworth Gate housing estate by developer Charles Church.

A total of 20 new homes, included four shared ownership and 16 rented properties have been transferred to Warwick District Council.

The properties range from one to three-bed homes at the Leamington Road development.

The handover was marked by a visit to the Kenilworth development by Charles Church Central technical director Nick Wilkins and head of housing at Warwick District Council Lisa Barker.

Cllr Paul Wightman, said: "The council is working hard to meet the housing needs of a growing population in an area where house prices are well above the national average and affordable rental homes are in short supply.

"It is great to see this new development of high quality, energy efficient new council homes, knowing the massive impact that this will have on families looking for affordable homes."

Nick Wilkins, technical director at Charles Church Central, added: "Handing over a portion of our homes at Kenilworth Gate is the latest example of our successful partnership with Warwick District Council, which is delivering much-needed new homes for local families across Warwickshire.

"It was great to welcome Councillor Wightman to the site to see the positive impact these homes are having in the region.

"We're continuing to work hard to prioritise quality and affordability for all our customers and will work closely with our local partners to ensure our investment makes a positive difference to communities across the Midlands."

The news comes just weeks after plans for the latter stages of the Kenilworth Gate development were submitted for planning approval.

The council houses comes in phase one of the estate - 98 homes - with a further 144 houses approved in June.

Now an application for phase three has been put forward, which includes 291 new homes, 130 of which will be affordable homes and 12 will be 'self-build plots'