Number of homeless people dying more than doubles in five years, figures show

At least 230 people living on streets or in temporary accommodation died between 2013 and 2017, with deaths occurring in supermarkets car parks, church graveyards and crowded hostels

According to figures, the average age of a rough sleeper at death was 43, nearly half the UK life expectancy, while around 90 per cent per cent of those who died in the last five years were men, when the gender was provided (Rex)

The number of homeless people dying has more than doubled over the last five years, with deaths occurring in supermarkets car parks, church graveyards and crowded hostels, new figures show.

At least 230 people living on the streets of in temporary accommodation died between 2013 and 2017, with the figure rising from 31 to 70 during that period.

The data, which includes an average of more than one death a week in 2017, are likely to be underestimated, as the UK government does not record homeless death statistics at a national level and local authorities are not required to record them.

According to the figures, obtained by the Guardian through a Freedom of Information request, the average age of a rough sleeper at death was 43 - nearly half the UK life expectancy.

Around 90 per cent per cent of those who died in the last five years were men, when the gender was provided.

It comes after a number of homeless deaths hit the headlines in recent months. A 53-year-old man known as Ben was found dead in his tent near a church in Nottinghamshire in March, weeks after the body of a Brazilian man, Marcos Amaral Gourgel, was found just metres from Parliament.

Government figures published in January revealed that the number of people sleeping rough in England had hit a record-high – after a 73 per cent increase over the last three years.

On any given night in autumn last year, 4,751 people were recorded sleeping on the streets, a figure that has more than doubled since 2010, which campaigners described as a “catastrophe”.

Matthew Downie, of the homeless charity Crisis told the Guardian the figures were a “devastating reminder” that rough sleeping was “beyond dangerous".

“It’s deadly, and it’s claiming more and more lives each year. Those sleeping on our streets are exposed to everything from sub-zero temperatures to violence and abuse, and fatal illnesses," he said.

“They are 17 times more likely to be a victim of violence, twice as likely to die from infections, and nine times more likely to commit suicide. What’s worse, we know these figures are likely to be an underestimate.”

After the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government were sent the figures, a government spokesperson said: “Every death of someone sleeping rough on our streets is one too many.

“We are taking bold action and have committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether by 2027.

“We are investing £1.2bn to tackle all forms of homelessness and earlier this week the Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious legislation in this area in decades, came into force.”