CAMPAIGNERS have renewed calls for the government to clear rent debt after the latest official figures showed a sharp increase in evictions in England and Wales. 

Data from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), released on Thursday, showed that 1,516 households were evicted between April and June this year. 

This marks a drastic increase from the previous quarter when 262 households were evicted in England and Wales. 

The stats give an early indication of the impact of ministers’ decision to lift the temporary ban on bailiff evictions on June 1. 

Generation Rent director Alicia Kennedy said: “These figures are a huge increase on the previous quarter, despite restrictions on evictions by bailiffs only being lifted in June. 

“But this still only represents a small number of renters who have faced eviction. There are thousands more who have lost work and got behind on their rent during the pandemic and will find it difficult to repay that, even if their income recovers. 

“It is almost impossible to move to a new home if you’re relying on benefits, so these renters face huge uncertainty in the months ahead while they wait to be told when the bailiffs will arrive.”

She said that the figures embolden the case for clearing rent arrears accrued during the pandemic to “remove the threat of homelessness from thousands of families.

“The government must act urgently to relieve this hardship.”

The MOJ said that the number of evictions during this period was down 80 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2019, before the pandemic hit.