LONDON Jan. 11 —— Around 7,500 people slept rough on London's streets in 2015, according to the statistics released by the Department for Communities and Local Government(DCLG). The paper also claims this represents a doubling in the number of people sleeping rough over the last five years.

Between 2012 and 2014, the numbers of London rough sleepers were relatively stable at around 6,500. In 2014-15, that figure rose to 7,581. If 7,500 people slept rough in the calendar year 2015, it suggests that the issue hasn't been dealt with and we can expect 2015-16's figures to still be high.

Homelessness charity St Mungo's Broadway, which compiles the figures, points the finger of blame at the housing crisis: lack of genuinely affordable housing, cuts to council funding and housing benefits. There's also a problem with people from central and eastern Europe finding themselves on the streets after work dries up or they're ditched by unscrupulous employers.

St Mungo's chief executive Howard Sinclair said

"Worryingly… the number of people who've previously slept rough and are returning to the streets is rising. We need to ask what more can be done for these people, what gaps need to be filled to prevent repeat homelessness."