'Record' number sleeping on streets of London

London: The number of people sleeping on the streets of London has hit a record high of nearly 12,000, latest figures showed Thursday, as the impact o...

London: The number of people sleeping on the streets of London has hit a record high of nearly 12,000, latest figures showed Thursday, as the impact of the UK's cost-of-living crisis bites.

Britain, the world's sixth-biggest economy, saw decades-high inflation in 2023 and a shortage of affordable rental properties over recent years.

Some 11,993 people were seen rough-sleeping in the capital in the year to March -- up 58 percent in a decade and the highest number recorded in a single year, according to Homeless Link, the body for groups dealing with homelessness in England.

In 2013-14, the number of people sleeping on the streets stood at 7,581.

Homeless Link chief executive Rick Henderson called the figures "appalling" and said the government that comes out of a July 4 general election should form a cross-party plan to tackle the problem.