The number of homeless families staying in bed and breakfast accommodation in the borough has plummeted, according to recent figures.

A large proportion of parents with children are no longer faced with the prospect of long-term stays in B&B's due to several homelessness initiatives available in the borough.

Hounslow council figures showed homeless families staying in this type of accommodation for more than six weeks has dropped from 110 in July 2013, to just four by the end of December.

The fall has been achieved through offering discretionary housing payments, a homeless at home scheme, and by helping homeless households to move into the private sector.

As a result the council has been able to keep temporary accommodation numbers static and seen a drop in households in shared bed and breakfast.

Councillor Steve Curran, cabinet member for housing, planning and regeneration at the Council, said:

“The long term rise in the number of families being housed in temporary accommodation has been halted, thanks to the actions we are taking to help prevent people becoming homeless in the first place.

“For those that do find themselves without a home, we have been working with private landlords to bring empty properties back into use, and by using some of our own housing stock as temporary accommodation.

“There is still work to be done to help people who find themselves facing homelessness, and we have plans in place to make sure we have suitable accommodation in place for those who may need it.”