One in every 75 households in Dartford and one in every 81 in Gravesham are at risk of eviction or repossession, according to new statistics by homeless charity Shelter.

Across the South East, one in 141 are at risk, the charity says, based on statistics from court proceedings which show more than 25,000 landlord possession claims were made between October last year and September this year.

A mortgage or landlord possession action starts when a mortgage lender or landlord completes and submits a claim to the courts to repossess a property. The most common reason for repossession is arrears of mortgage or rent.

In Dartford, third in the league table locally and 38th across the country, we saw 538 possession claims. Gravesham is 55th nationally and fifth locally with 500 possession claims.

The Shelter helpline is already taking more than 470 calls each day, offering support and advice to homeless families and those still fighting to stay in their homes.

With housing costs soaring and welfare cuts continuing to take their toll, the charity was bracing itself for a record number of calls over the Christmas period from families on the brink of homelessness.

Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb said: “It is heart-breaking to see that so many people in the South East face spending Christmas with the threat of losing their home hanging over them. Times are tough, and these days it doesn’t take much to tip a family into the spiral that leads to homelessness.

“The government needs to rebuild our shredded housing safety net so that it’s there to catch those that fall on hard times, and allow them to get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

“We are urging anyone who can to donate to our Christmas appeal and make sure we can be there for every family facing homelessness, because no one should be left to fight this battle on their own.”

To support Shelter’s emergency Christmas appeal visit www.shelter.org.uk or text HOME to 87080 and donate £3 to answer a call for help.