More than 16,000 people are homeless and living in temporary accommodation through the pandemic in the West Midlands, according to a new survey.

The charity Shelter warns that homelessness is actually higher and that the economic crash from Covid is turbo-charging the problem.

“The number experiencing homelessness is undoubtedly higher, as many people will be undocumented by local councils because they are sleeping rough or sofa-surfing."

Their ‘Homeless and Forgotten’ report says that across the West Midlands 1,460 households (28%) are currently placed into emergency B&Bs and hostels, where poor conditions and gross overcrowding are rife.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, spoke of many people spending Christmas in ‘grim, dangerous places, cut off from loved ones and faced with a daily struggle to eat or keep clean.’

The report revealed which parts of the West Midlands have the highest number of homeless people trapped in temporary accommodation.

Birmingham is top with 12,121 - one in every 94. Coventry (1,301) and Solihull (406) come second and third while Redditch comes in tenth at 75 (one in 1,137)l.

To donate to Shelter’s urgent winter appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk/donate.