NHS Grampian has described the “buoyant” housing market as challenging as it seeks to recruit new workers while three teachers who were due to start work 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, the teacher discovered the only accommodation she could find would cost £800 a month.

The Moray Council waiting list for the area is at around 3,500.

An NHS Grampian spokeswoman told the Press & Journal: “The relatively buoyant housing market in the region is a challenge for us. However, we are starting to see some improvement in the availability of suitable accommodation – both rented and owned – for our staff.​”

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 told the Evening Express: “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.”

In 2015, Moray Council struck a deal with housebuilder Springfield Properties to offer teachers rent-free accommodation in a bid to end a long-running staffing shortage.