An emergency refuge will open its doors to the homeless tonight as the temperatures are expected to drop below freezing again.

Organised by Ken Rose and Lucy Arnold, a group of people from churches in the Towns have come together to offer the shelter in a church hall and it will open for the first time this evening.

There are 14 beds and people have to be referred through Caring Hands, a charity which supports those in need.

Mr Rose, from St Paul with All Saints Church in Chatham, said: “When it hits zero or below we are going to open up a hall, put up beds, offer them soup and hot drinks in the evening and in the morning, something simple, like beans on toast.

The Medway Messenger's Christmas appeal for 2016 is encouraging readers to support charities which help the homeless this Christmas.

Mr Rose said: "Most churches have to put their boilers on when it gets to zero to stop the pipes freezing. My vision for the future is to get other churches to open up their halls so there are emergency refuges in every town in Medway.”

The refuge is run by volunteers and has been set up with second hand equipment with donations from various congregations.

The idea has been in place since Mr Rose helped with the Medway Winter Night Shelter at the start of this year.

The shelter is based in various churches and halls from January to March, but Mr Rose and others wanted to provide something before Christmas as well.

The freezing cold took organisers by surprise and they were not quite ready to open when the temperature dropped below zero last week.

Mr Rose said: “Last November there were just two nights at zero or below and but this year there were 12 nights. We have been sorting out insurance, bedding and getting all the resources ready.”

Like all local authorities, Medway Council has a severe weather protocol which comes into play when temperatures are forecast to be at zero or below for three days in a row but Mr Rose does not think this is good enough.

“If you don’t die on the first night, you’ve got two other chances,” he said. “I want to get people off the streets so they’ll be safe and not at risk of dying from hypothermia.”

The campaign group Medway Justice for Homeless People staged a protest during the Dickensian Christmas festival on Saturday, calling on the council to use empty homes to provide emergency shelters.

A Medway Council spokesman 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.”

The spokesman added that the council had not yet been advised to put the protocol in place.