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The number of households in temporary accommodation has been branded a ‘national scandal’, and have soared by 61% since the Tories came to power.

Local authorities accepted 14,600 households as statutorily homeless in the first three months of 2017, with a total of 77,240 families in temporary housing.

And official figures show the number of families living in bed and breakfasts increased by more than a thousand in the last year alone.

And of the 6,590 families now living in B&Bs, more than 3,000 have dependent or expected children.

Councils put homeless families up in B&Bs when they don’t have enough temporary housing, with the number of families kept in such accommodation longer than the legal limit of six weeks leaping by 36% in a year.

(Image: Shelter)

Campaigners say B&B accommodation is often of very poor quality and unsuitable for families.

Of the 77,240 households in temporary accommodation. almost a third had been placed outside of their own local authority district.

Some 90% of those who had been moved were from London.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: “In 2017 no-one should be homeless, living in a Bed and Breakfast or worrying whether they will have a roof over their head from one month to the next. This is a national scandal and the Government are doing nothing to actually tackle the problem.

“We need more houses built and they need to be the right kind of houses - social housing, truly affordable housing, and social rented properties.

“Britain is one of the richest places on Earth, it is a stain on our nation’s conscience that thousands of people are still sleeping rough on the streets every night.”

Faye Greaves, policy and practice officer at the Chartered Institute of Housing said: “We are particularly concerned about the continuing rise in the numbers of households in temporary accommodation, which has soared by a staggering 61 per cent since December 2010.

"The number of households trapped in bed and breakfast accommodation has also risen, and includes thousands of families with children. This type of accommodation is often very poor quality and highly unsuitable, especially for families.”

She added: “There has also been a jump in the number of households placed outside their local authority district, which may be down to the increasing cost of housing, especially in London.

"This issue has been in the spotlight over the past week following the horrendous events at Grenfell Tower.

"The cost of housing can make it difficult for local authorities to find a home for people in the same area, but councils must do everything they can to avoid moving people away from their communities and support networks – in any situation.”