HUNDREDS of activists caught the attention of festive shoppers as they marched down Oxford Street on Saturday to protest London’s soaring rents.

The protest, led by the London Renters Union (LRU), added to the rising wave of renter-driven demonstrations across Europe and Scotland.

Average rents in the capital have risen to £2,172 a month, outstripping what more than many of the city’s workers take home.

For instance, someone earning the London Living Wage and working 35 hours a week would have pre-tax monthly earnings of £1,939.

As rents soar, thousands of families have been pushed into temporary accommodation.

Homeless charity Shelter reported that a record 150,000 children were forced to live out of suitcases this year.

Protesters are now demanding that the government reintroduce rent controls, which were repealed under former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and commit to building and buying back public housing.

Morgan, a London renter who only gave their first name, said: “Even as I’ve worked hard and moved up in my career, it feels like I can never get ahead because every pay rise gets swallowed by even higher rents.

“I’ve seen landlords hike rents way beyond inflation year after year, and it’s heartbreaking.”

Another renter, Batool Desouky, said: “My housemates and I are being evicted from the place I’ve called home for the last four years because the landlord is selling up and wants us gone. 

“Now, I’m desperately searching for somewhere new, but everything I find is either run-down, far too expensive or a risky sublet that doesn’t feel secure. 

“I’m worried I’ll be forced to move even further out, away from my community, with a longer, more costly commute. 

“It feels so unfair that finding a safe, affordable place to live in the city where I work has become this hard.”

LRU spokesperson Elyem Chej said: “Rent control can take the pressure off renters right now while we continue to push for the public homes we need and deserve. 

“We will continue to grow the power of our movement and fight until we win affordable homes for all.”