People sleeping on the streets of Norwich say they have never felt further from being able to secure a safe roof over their heads.

Rising bills and fears over the cost of living means homeless people are seeing fewer members of the public with spare change.

With Office for National Statistics figures calculating the average Norwich household expenditure is set to rise by £5,305 this winter, many are feeling the pinch.

Phil, a 66-year-old rough sleeper, has noticed the impact already ahead of the winter months.

The German-born man - whose former scrap business went bankrupt - said: "It's harder to get donations. A lot of people I speak to are struggling with the cost of living.

"It's definitely been a noticeable change. Before lockdown I was getting roughly £20 a day which I could live on.

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"But now it can be £3 or £4 for a whole day which is not enough.

"I am trying to save up but the housing market has gone through the roof.

"Getting deposits and one or two months' rent together is hard enough for people who are working - let alone those struggling on benefits."

The homeless man - who can often be heard playing his penny whistle with his pet ferret nearby - said life on the streets can be dangerous at night and he has been attacked in the past.

Rachel Platt, 31, is also homeless for the first time at the moment having fled domestic abuse.

The former waitress - who is originally from King's Lynn - is seeking support through the Pathways Norwich team which seeks to find suitable accommodation for those threatened with homelessness.

Miss Platt said: "I think fewer people are able to help at the moment. Everyone is struggling a bit over the last couple of months.

"I get given the odd change but it will not even get me through a day.

"The prices have gone up even just to get a sandwich from a shop."

Miss Platt is on the waiting list to stay in a hostel after the end of her abusive partnership which she had been in for five years.

She added: "I was surprised by how many people are homeless in Norwich and are in a similar situation to me. It is a lot of people.

"All it takes is not being able to pay rent for a couple of months - especially with prices going up."

A 42-year-old homeless man - who did not wish to be named - is sofa-surfing after he lost his place at the Bishopbridge House hostel a few years ago.

Sat near St Stephen's Church on Saturday, the Polish-born man said: "There seems to be less donations during the school holidays as parents need to spend money on their kids.

"The Pathways team have really helped me and I have spent six months selling the Big Issue which earns me a minimum of £15 to £20 a day."

Government figures showed 74,230 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022.

This included 25,610 families with children and represented an 11pc rise in three months.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, said: "With homelessness on the rise whoever becomes the next prime minister needs to get a grip on this crisis, and fast.

"The housing emergency was already tipping thousands of people into homelessness before the cost of living crisis took hold.

"Now record-high rents and crippling food and fuel bills risk sending even more people over the edge – including people who are working every hour they can."

Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive at St Martins in Norwich, said: "We have a vision that no one will need to sleep rough on our streets.

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"Our Pathways team is out every day providing support and assistance to people who are sleeping rough."