On a recent afternoon during the coronavirus lockdown, the police called Southall Black Sisters, a domestic abuse support group, to say they had arrested a woman who was asking for Shakila Taranum Maan.

The woman was distressed and tearful. Maan, an advocacy services manager, recognised her as someone who had previously sought help for domestic abuse, but returned to her family due to pressure. Her husband and child had now accused her of assault, and she was protesting her innocence.

Maan convinced the police to drop the charges and tried to find the woman a safe place to stay. But with the country shut down by the pandemic, that was harder than normal.

“She tried to call a friend and a relative, but they didn’t want her in the house due to Covid-19,” says Maan. The next option, a hotel, returned the same answer: “Hotels in the area weren’t taking anyone in due to the virus.”

Hours later, at 9pm that evening, Maan finally made contact with a B&B that takes survivors of abuse - a room had become available and they could offer her a safe place to stay, for a short period.

This is a story that has been playing out across the UK every single day, as refuges struggle to cope with the influx of people fleeing abusive partners during the coronavirus lockdown.

Domestic homicides have trebled in the UK, with at least 14 suspected killings of women and children between March 23 and April 12 this year - the period spanning lockdown. In the past 10 years, the average number of deaths of women at the hands of men, over the same period, has been five.