LACK of social housing and sky-high rents in Bracknell are pushing more people into homelessness according to a charity.

The number of those sleeping rough on the streets of the borough is also much higher than official figures suggest with a homeless shelter taking in more than three-times as many rough sleepers than official records show in just one night.

Local government figures claim the numbers have risen from just one recorded rough sleeper in 2010 to four in 2014 and five in 2015.

However, the Pilgrim Hearts homeless shelter took in 17 homeless people in just one night in February with around 140 volunteers helping run the scheme between January and March.

The shelter closed two weeks ago and one homeless man, who asked not to be named, said finding a safe place to bed down was difficult and they had recently fallen victim to a gang of teenagers who threw stones at them.

The 44-year-old ended up sleeping rough after Boxing Day 2015 after the breakdown of his relationship and the constant threat of being moved on has made him wary of revealing where he and his small group are now forced to sleep.

He said: "We've clubbed together and we have a bit of a community now, a bit of safety. There's three of us, but sometimes as many as six of us together.

"It was tough to start with, I was living on my own and moving each night, then I met up with someone who took me to the shelter at Holy Trinity Church."

He has thanked the volunteers who "didn't ask anything of us" but gave them a bed, a hot meal and some security.

"I've lived here for 39 years and trying to get any form of social housing is very much near impossible and if you want to get in rented accommodation, even for a bedroom you're looking at £500 to £ 600 a month and then a £1,000 deposit.

"At the end of the day, all we want is a bit of security. To put our heads down and sort out lives out. We were so grateful to the people who ran the shelter."

Six churches across Bracknell operated the night shelter on a rota with the help of volunteers.

Elaine Chalmers-Brown, director of the Pilgrim Hearts Trust who organised the shelter, said the council are aware the scale of the problem is bigger than the official figures suggest.

She said: "The council are aware there are more people than the figures say and they do realise. They have a duty of care for people who are under 25 and people with children, but their budget is so tight now.

"The shelter was very important, there's obviously a need and the council money is being tightened so it's down to other people to help."

However the council claim it is "difficult to compare" differing figures for the number of rough sleepers in the borough.

Cllr Dale Birch, executive member for adult services, health and housing, said: "We are committed to helping and supporting those who are most vulnerable and find themselves unable to secure and keep a home.

"The number of people that Pilgrim Hearts saw on one night and the rough sleeping estimate are difficult to compare. Our recorded number of five from 2015 is an estimate of those sleeping rough on a particular night; the figures are collected using Government criteria, including data collected from organisations such as Pilgrim Hearts."