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The Mayor of London will open emergency homeless shelters throughout the capital on Sunday night as temperatures are set to plummet.

Sadiq Khan said he had implemented changes which meant the shelters could be opened the first night freezing temperatures were predicted, rather than the third.

He said: “No one should be faced with sleeping rough on our streets, and as the temperature drops, we're opening emergency cold-weather shelters across London.

"As Mayor, I’ve changed City Hall policy to open emergency cold-weather shelters more often than they were before.

"They are now open whenever temperatures in London fall below zero so that everyone in need has a warm place to stay, and all 33 London boroughs are now operating their own shelters in the same way too.

“Emergency shelters are funded through part of the £9 million a year I invest in services to tackle rough sleeping, and in December I launched my “No one needs to sleep rough in London” campaign, which has already raised a fantastic amount for vital services.

"I urge Londoners to keep giving, and to let StreetLink know if they see anyone sleeping rough this winter.”

According to recent research, London boroughs dominate the UK’s 50 hotspots for residents without permanent accommodation in the UK.

Thirty two areas cited as among the biggest contributors to Britain’s surging homeless population are in the capital, figures showed.

Some 13,607 homeless people live in Newham, east London, followed by 9,717 in Haringey, north London, and 8,054 in Westminster.

One in every 25 people in Newham is classed as homeless, figures showed.

City Hall said the first emergency shelter would open in Hammersmith, the No Second Night Out Hub, and be followed by shelters throughout the city as the evening progresses.

Visit the StreetLink website for further information.