A huge increase in drug fatalities has contributed to the biggest rise in deaths of homeless people in England and Wales since records began.
Deaths of homeless people increased by 22 per cent to 726 in 2018 — the largest rise since 2013, according to Office for National Statistics figures.
London had the highest number of deaths, with 20 per cent of the total, followed by the North-West, with 14 per cent.
Two in five were related to drug poisoning — a rise of 55 per cent on 2017 — and compared with 16 per cent for the population as a whole.
Ben Humberstone, head of health analysis at the ONS, said: “The deaths of 726 homeless people in England and Wales recorded in 2018 represent an increase of over a fifth on the previous year.
"That’s the largest rise since these figures began in 2013.
"A key driver of the change is the number of deaths related to drug poisoning, which are up by 55 per cent since 2017.”
Most of the deaths last year were men, an estimated 641, with an average age of 45.
