People living on the streets of Medway could die as temperatures dive this winter, a volunteer has warned.

Liz Shaw has been working with husband Darren, as part of the charity One Big Family, to help those sleeping rough in different parts of the Towns.

The couple have been offering food, support and warm clothing to those living in makeshift camps. Among those they have been helping are the group of homeless people who were evicted from the camp in woodland off Marlborough Road in Gillingham last month.

Among those One Big Family has helped were a group of four people all huddled together in a doorway in Rochester sharing bedding and a man sleeping rough in Chatham with only a sleeping bag that did not fasten. This week, as temperatures dropped to -5C, the charity was given a cash donation and immediately bought more than 20 sleeping bags which they distributed to people on the same day.

Mrs Shaw said: “People do have sleeping bags and bedding but what was appropriate in the summer is not going to protect them when the temperature is -5C. We urgently need more bedding.”

A large number of people who had been sleeping in tents near the River Medway in Gillingham have moved because it was too exposed to the elements.

When a Medway Messenger reporter visited the site on Wednesday, the grass was still frozen at 2pm in the afternoon. There just a few tents left of the 20 that were originally there.

Mrs Shaw, who gave up her job in January to dedicate her time to One Big Family, said: “It is terrifying to think what could happen to people on the streets this winter. Temperatures are already at a dangerous level, people could die.

" Temperatures are already at a dangerous level, people could die" - Liz Shaw

“The situation is not helped by the fact that people who are homeless in Medway are hidden away. It is not like in London where you can walk along the street and see people in doorways. Here they are hidden, on land or in buildings where they perhaps shouldn’t be.”

The charity has discovered pockets of homeless people living in tents and other places around Medway. They are aged between 20 and 70 and are mostly men but do include some women.

Mrs Shaw said some have alcohol and drug addictions but others are on the streets through no fault of their own.

She added: “Some have lost their jobs and others are homeless due to the break up of a relationship.

“It is easy to say that we are all only one step away from being homeless. But what I would say to people is that if you are in rented accommodation, and you found out tomorrow that you were losing your home, because the landlord wanted to sell, would you have the money in the bank for a deposit on another house, which in Medway could be around £2,000? If the answer if no, then you are closer to homelessness than you think.”

A Medway Council spokesperson said: “The council operates a Severe Weather Protocol in line with national guidance to support rough sleepers, this works based on advice from the Met Office during periods of severe weather and when forecasts are for temperatures to be at zero for three days.”

But the spokesman added that the council has not yet been advised to put the protocol in place.