An increase in people being evicted from homes and private rents being at "an all-time high" are fuelling fears of a homeless surge this winter.

Homeless charities in the city are calling for the new government to scrap no-fault evictions to give renters much-needed security in their homes.

And the Norwich-based St Martins homeless service is braced for a rise in the number of people sleeping rough amid the cost of living crisis.

Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive at St Martins, said: "Numbers are slowly creeping up but what we’re seeing now is, I fear, just the tip of the iceberg.

"At St Martins we stand ready to do our very best to ensure no one needs to sleep rough on the streets of Norwich."

Norwich Evening News: Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive at St MartinsDr Jan Sheldon, chief executive at St Martins (Image: David Cullingford)

Both the cost of living and a rise in section 21 notice evictions - the first step landlords take to evict tenants - are exacerbating the city's homeless crisis.

The most recent quarterly government eviction stats released on August 11 shows 54 people in Norwich were threatened with homelessness within 56 days from January to March of this year.

A total of 14 of these people had been served with a section 21 notice, an increase from five notices for January to March the previous year.

Throughout the financial year, there were 353 people in the city threatened with homelessness, of which 78 were section 21 notices.

Norwich Evening News: Homeless people in Gentleman's Walk earlier this yearHomeless people in Gentleman's Walk earlier this year (Image: Archant 2022)

On a national scale, 3,405 households in the private rented sector were evicted by bailiffs between April and June 2022.

Osama Bhutta, director of campaigns at Shelter, said: "Every day our emergency helpline supports renters who are scrambling around trying to find another home after being slapped with a no-fault eviction.

"These are real people whose lives are being turned upside down and simply cannot afford to stump up the cash for a house move they don’t want to make."

The director has called for the government to scrap "unfair" no-fault evictions and end the freeze on housing benefit immediately so people can afford to pay rent this winter.

Norwich Evening News: Osama Bhutta, Director of Campaigns for ShelterOsama Bhutta, Director of Campaigns for Shelter (Image: Supplied by Shelter)

He added: "Private rents are at an all-time high and those who lose their tenancies in the months ahead are going to struggle to find another home as the cost for new rentals spirals.

"Losing a private tenancy is a leading cause of homelessness in England."

Government figures show 74,230 households in England became homeless or were at imminent risk of becoming homeless between January and March 2022 – including 25,610 families with children.

Of that total, one in four (18,210) was due to the loss of a private tenancy, an increase of 94pc in a year.

Chrissie Rumsby, Labour county councillor for Mile Cross, has seen a rise in people struggling to afford accommodation within her ward.

She said: "People can't afford to pay energy bills and rents. A lot of landlords are wondering, with interest rates going up, whether they can afford to rent out properties.

"One thing has an impact on another and it just escalates.

"There are fewer and fewer private rentals and it just becomes a stigma for those on a low wage.

"We are rolling back to the bad old days where if you are on a low wage they do not rent out to you."

Norwich Evening News: Chrissie Rumsby, Labour county councillor for Mile Cross in Norwich, in the kitchen preparing meals at the Phoenix Centre on the estate for families.Chrissie Rumsby, Labour county councillor for Mile Cross in Norwich, in the kitchen preparing meals at the Phoenix Centre on the estate for families. (Image: Simon Floyd)

One 45-year-old man, who did not wish to be named, has been served with five section 21 notices from his private home in Mousehold Street in NR3.

He said: "More and more people are unable to access housing or they are being forced to share.

"Not enough of the new builds are affordable rent and there is a steady erosion of the housing stock.

"Plenty of people are in far worse situations who can't advocate for themselves and it is upsetting there are so many empty properties in the city."

The tenant - who is on universal credit and personal independence payments - said he is 46th on a waiting list for a single-room council property.

He was unable to bid on two places with more than one room as a single man.