A teenager was forced to live in a tent for months and even sell his belongings after "inexcusable failures" by two councils.

Now both authorities have been rapped by the Local Government Ombudsman - and have been forced to pay £10,000 after the catalogue of errors.

In her report, Anne Seex said the youngster known as J - who was just 16 at the time - spent nine months sleeping in a tent, sometimes in snow, or on friends' sofas.

His tent (similar to that pictured above) was vandalised and his physical and mental health suffered.

His feet were frequently wet, he had back pain and lost a lot of weight, and developed a chest infection.

Now the Ombudsman has highlighted the "inexcusable" failures of both Kent and Dover Councils, and found maladministration in both cases.

In her report released today, Ms Seex said Kent County Council failed to assess the teenager as a ‘child in need’ and accommodate him, denying him his right to help.

Dover failed to accept him as homeless and provide suitable temporary accommodation, or contact Kent children’s services about him.

Ms Seex said: “These failures are inexcusable.

“J was remarkably determined and resilient in the face of crushingly difficult circumstances... the failures of the two councils could have easily tipped him into a spiral of drug use and crime.”

Among the Ombudsman’s recommendations to remedy the injustice to J, she asked both to apologise to J and pay him £10,100 compensation (each to pay half).

J's story starts when he became homeless at 16.

He was returned to his mother after a spate with foster parents, but was asked to leave when he objected to her relationship with an intravenous drug user.

He applied for housing to Dover Council but was turned away.

A youth centre manager told Kent children’s services about J. Those contacts were not recorded and for six months Kent children’s services did nothing.

J was determined to stay ‘clean’ of drugs and out of trouble, the report states.

"j was remarkably determined and resilient in the face of crushingly difficult circumstances... the failures of the two councils could have easily tipped him into a spiral of drug use and crime" – the local government ombudsman

Although Dover Council would not accept him as homeless it offered him bed and breakfast, registered him for housing and offered him a one-bedroom flat.

He refused these offers because he did not want to be in areas where he would be tempted into drugs or crime.

Under pressure from a neighbourhood police officer, the Youth Offending Service, the YMCA and a local drug and alcohol service, Dover offered him another flat from the housing register and J accepted.

But Dover then demanded an adult guarantee the tenancy.

For six weeks it refused to accept a £1,000 guarantee from Kent children’s services. The Ombudsman is particularly critical of Dover’s demands about a guarantee.

Kent has now been ordered to write to a youth centre which "stepped in and gave J personal support above and beyond its usual level" and thank its manager.

Dover District Council has already made improvements to address some of the areas of concern. It has also agreed to write a letter of apology and pay the proposed compensation.

The Ombudsman said Kent County Council has yet to respond to the draft findings, but KCC said it replied in July.

In a statement following the report, KCC cabinet member for specialist children’s services, Jenny Whittle, said: "There is no mistaking that the system as a whole failed. We accept our role in that and offer our sincerest apologies to this young man.

"The county council has largely implemented the improvements recommended by the Ombudsman - and the way we deal with homeless young people, aged 16 and 17, changed substantially following new government guidance, published in April 2010."

A Dover District Council spokesman said it had already put into place changes to its procedures.

It added: "We continue to make improvements to our working practices.

"The Local Government Ombudsman recommended actions are already in place to prevent such a situation arising in future.

"The Council is deeply sorry for any hardship suffered a result of its actions before these improvements were made.

"The remedy proposed by the Local Goverment Ombudsman will be actioned as soon as authority is obtained at the next meeting of the full Council."