Plans to cut the time homeless families spend in bed and breakfast accommodation were unveiled by the government today.
The shake-up means that in future, hotels housing these families will need to meet new standards on room size and occupancy levels, location of cooking and bathing facilities and management standards.
The government has set a target of 2004 to end the use of bed and breakfast facilities for families with children, except in emergencies and then for no longer than six weeks.
London has the highest number of families with children in B&B, with the south-east, south-west and eastern regions also showing significant problems.
The changes, outlined by the minister for social exclusion and equality, Barbara Roche, also aim to strengthen this target by making it unlawful for local authorities to exceed a six-week deadline.
Ms Roche said in a speech to the King's Cross homelessness project in London: "Over-crowded accommodation with poor, unhygienic facilities and no play and study space causes misery and ill health.
"For children it can be particularly devastating, affecting development and education and putting them at a disadvantage from a young age.
"It is unacceptable that anybody should live in these conditions in the 21st century and the government is committed to working closely with local authorities, to ensure they do not have to.
"There are still over 5,500 families with children in B&Bs. This is too many and needs to be drastically reduced.
"Our latest figures show councils are making good progress and have found alternative forms of housing for around 1,000 families in the three months to December 2002. This shows what can be achieved.
"We recognise the role that good quality B&B can play in helping meet the short-term needs of homeless households. These proposals will ensure the accommodation is of an appropriate standard and is only sued as the emergency accommodation it is intended for."
Local authorities are responsible for finding temporary accommodation for homeless people and for tackling and preventing homelessness locally through strategies to be in place by July 30.
The government has made available nearly £200m in funding for housing authorities in England over the two years 2002-03 and 2003-04.
This is to help local authorities be innovative, proactive and effective in meeting the B&B target, sustain the achievements in reducing rough sleeping and address and prevent homelessness.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the British Medical Association. said: "We are pleased to see that measures are being taken to work towards ensuring that homeless people have a decent living environment and children no longer suffer from B&Bs.
"Our recent research has shown that children who live in poor standard bed and breakfast hotels suffer from bad health from the overcrowded and often unhygienic conditions they have to endure.
"We support the government's B&B targets and the move away from a practice which is outdated and causes untold damage.
