90,000 children will be homeless this Christmas

London: More than 90,000 children will be homeless in London this Christmas.

Many are being forced to live in cramped temporary accommodation such as hostels and bed and breakfast hotels because of a shortage of suitable affordable housing.

Figures out Thursday show the number of homeless children in the capital has risen to 91,175, from 83,963 last year. The figure is almost three quarters of the total number of homeless children in England 130,000. A separate set of figures shows that there are almost 16,000 empty council and housing association properties in London. Lynne Featherstone, London spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, said: "This is a desperate situation.

"It is shocking that more than 91,000 children in London are being denied a chance of having a safe home and a good education." The Hornsey and Wood Green MP said homelessness led to a wide range of social problems, particularly among children who are vulnerable to insecurity.