The image of a homeless man, who died from hypothermia while sleeping outside a derelict bungalow in Aylesford five years ago, still haunts one woman who passed him just hours before his tragic demise.

Amanda Evans, 50, was out jogging in Hermitage Lane on the evening of February 23, 2013, when she spotted a shadow of a figure in a doorway.

Being a woman on her own on a frosty night, she decided to cross the road and thought no more about it, until the following morning, when news broke that Daniel Gauntlett, a 35-year-old father-of-two, had frozen to death.

“It really hit me hard, I was really upset, and even now, five years on, I could still cry over it,” said Mrs Evans, who lived in Maidstone before moving to Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Mr Gauntlett was the second homeless man to die in the area that same weekend, after Douglas Poynton, 45, of no fixed address, died at Forstal Cottages in Forstal Road.

Since then, however, Mrs Evans has become a tireless campaigner for the homeless.

She knits hats, gloves and socks for those sleeping rough, and encourages others to do the same.

Though when she returned to the County Town a fortnight ago to visit friends and family, she was shocked to see the extent of the problem on Maidstone’s streets.

“I was walking through the town centre I noticed half a dozen homeless people sitting in doorways and people just completely blanked them, they didn’t even look,” she said.

“I went into three coffee shops to buy them hot drinks and food.

One young lad looked so cold and lonely. I had to bite my lip because I got so emotional and it reminded me of Daniel, even though I never knew him personally.”

Shortly after the tragic deaths of Mr Gauntlett and Mr Poynton , Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) launched a hard-hitting ‘Your Kindness Could Kill’ campaign.

Posters showing an image of a body made up of coins went up on the sides of park-and-ride buses and town centre car parks in a bid to encourage town centre shoppers to give directly to homeless charities rather than offering up spare change.

MBC claimed cash donations for beggars are often used to buy alcohol or drugs that could ultimately kill them.

Five years on, chairman of the community, housing and environment committee John Barned, insists the campaign is working.

He said: “It is an awareness campaign to help inform residents of where to direct any donations so they can be of maximum benefit to our street population.

"People often find it very difficult to make the distinction between those in genuine need and professional beggars.

“We believe it is important that any resources available are directed to the correct groups like Porchlight and the Maidstone Day Centre so they can continue to provide a vital service to those who are sleeping rough.”

Shortly after the tragic deaths of Mr Gauntlett and Mr Poynton, Maidstone Borough Council launched a hard-hitting 'Your Kindness Could Kill' campaign.

Posters showing an image of a body made up of coins went up on the sides of park-and-ride buses and town centre car parks in a bid to encourage town centre shoppers to give to homeless charities rather than offering spare change to those sleeping on the streets.

The council claimed cash donations for beggars are often used to buy alcohol or drugs that could ultimately kill them. Five years on, and the town hall insists the campaign is working.

Foodbank usage levels in Maidstone have been branded "shocking" by volunteers, after a report revealed dependency on emergency packages in Kent has risen by almost a quarter over the past four years.

Jutta Neumann recently took over management of Restoring Hands in George Street after moving to the UK from Germany five years ago, and admits she has been taken aback by the extent to which people are having to rely on food parcels.

"It's really shocking how easily people here find themselves knocking on the door of a foodbank," she said. "People are having to make a decision between food and rent and month-by-month we find you can't predict who's going to come knocking."

Her comments come as Green MEP Keith Taylor last week published a report claiming some 17,568 food parcels were handed out in the county last year, compared to 14,078 in 2013, blaming the increase on stagnating wages and increasing living costs.

"Across the UK, foodbank use has soared by at least 65% with even nurses being forced to rely on emergency food parcels as the reality of Britain’s record in-work poverty levels hit home," he said.

"Low income is now one of the single biggest reasons why people are forced to seek emergency food aid. In the UK, there are seven million people from working households currently living below the poverty line.

"And a third of children are living in poverty - despite the majority being from working families."