More than 3,000 people in Kent face homelessness this Christmas, with 150 thought to be sleeping rough as temperatures plummet.

Dartford has the highest number of homeless people relative to population, with 337 in temporary accommodation and another ten sleeping rough.

Medway has the largest number of homeless people in total with 860 in temporary accommodation and 14 rough sleepers, according to the council's rough sleeper count last year. But campaign groups put the figure at nearer 250.

Maidstone has the highest official number of rough sleepers in Kent, with 38 people thought to be sleeping in the cold.

This time last year homeless man Julian Boughton was found dead in his tent near the River Medway in the county town. He had been visiting the Maidstone Day Centre for at least eight years.

The latest figures come from a report by the Homeless Charity Shelter, which found there that 22,100 people are homeless in the South East.

Gleaned from a combination of government statistics and freedom of information requests, the report is the largest the charity has produced since its original Green Book publication 50 years ago.

Shelter’s chief executive Campbell Robb said: “Shelter’s founding shone a light on hidden homelessness in the sixties slums. But while those troubled times have faded into memory, fifty years on a modern day housing crisis is tightening its grip on our country.

“Tens of thousands of people in the South East will face the trauma of waking up homeless this Christmas. Decades in the making, this is the tragic result of a nation struggling under the weight of sky-high rents, a lack of affordable homes, and cuts to welfare support.

“We all face the consequences when so many grow up without a place to call home. It breaks up communities and wreaks havoc on family life.

"For the sake of future generations we must pull together to end this crisis, and refuse to rest until every child has a place to call home.”

To support Shelter’s urgent Christmas appeal and help homeless families please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70555 to donate £3.

If you see someone sleeping rough, contact Porchlight on 0800 567 7699 or report online.