The blocks which sit next to Dalmuir train station have historically had a high number of empty flats.

This was blamed on the condition of the buildings, anti-social behaviour and the amount of void properties within the blocks.

However, 70 homes have been allocated in just six months and only a handful of flats now remain empty.

The number of tenants moving into the high flats has skyrocketed because of a council pilot project aimed specifically at reducing the number of empty homes.

It has brought in £220,000 a year in rental income for the council — and has been so successful that it is being rolled out to South Drumry and Westcliff in Dumbarton to reduce the number of voids in those areas.

The pilot involved not only refurbishing the interior and exterior of the tower blocks, but creating a show home for prospective tenants. A targeted approach to allocations was also adopted and contact was made with people on the waiting list for similar properties in other areas of Clydebank.

The Dalmuir properties were then marketed to show the benefits of living there — including close proximity to transport links, 24/7 CCTV coverage, laundry and caretaking facilities, an active local tenants and residents group and a local community café.

Efforts were also made to house people of similar ages or family make-up next to one another, such as pensioners or young families. This approach is aimed at fostering and maintaining good neighbourhood relations which means tenancies last longer.

Brian Aitchison and his wife Elaine moved from Old Kilpatrick to the Burnside Court block eight weeks ago.

The 58-year-old had lived in the house for 12 years but sold up after losing his job in the printing industry.

Brian said: “I found part-time work but my redundancy money was going down quickly and it was all quite stressful.

“So I sold my property and used the equity to get properly set up in this new flat. The house is in good condition and we are saving a lot of money on council tax.

“My wife wanted the top floor and the view we’ve got from the living room is astounding. It looks right down the Clyde and if it was New York you would be paying a fortune for a view like that.” Councillor David McBride, convener of housing and communities, said: “The Dalmuir project has been a huge success. At the turn of the year over 80 of these flats were vacant. Now there are just a handful of homes remaining across the six blocks.

“Having these homes occupied brings in valuable income to the council which can then be spent on further improvements to our housing stock.”