Number of homeless deaths in England and Wales doubles in five years to nearly 600 in 2017

Nearly 600 homeless people in England and Wales died last year, according to official estimates.

That’s an increase of nearly a quarter over five years.

Deaths of rough sleepers and those in emergency accommodation rose from 482 in 2013 to 597 last year across England and Wales, according to the first Office for National Statistics (ONS) research of its kind.

Homeless men and women die on average at the age of 44 – nearly half the life expectancy for people in stable housing.

It was estimated that last year more than one in 10 homeless deaths were due to suicide, while more than two-fifths was due to drug poisoning or alcohol-related.

The statistics came a day after MPs were told about the death of homeless man who was found outside the Houses of Parliament – the second homeless man known to have died near the Palace of Westminster this year.

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According to the statistics, London had the highest mortality rate, with more than a fifth of the estimated deaths, at 136.

The North West of England saw the largest increase over the period, with homeless deaths more than doubling to 119.

Government figures released last week showed the number of households living in temporary accommodation in England had risen by 5% in a year to 82,310.

Data previously showed the number of people officially recorded as sleeping on the streets of England rose from 1,768 in 2010 to 4,751 in 2017, but charities warned the true figure could be more than double.