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Over 8,000 people a week at risk of losing their home

HOMELESS charity Shelter revealed yesterday that more than 8,300 people a week in England are at risk of losing their home.

Hotspots include the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Haringey, Lewisham, Hackney, Greenwich, Southwark and Brent and — outside the capital — Slough, Peterborough, Manchester and Rochdale.

The charity based its findings on the number of possession claims issued in county courts between April 1 last year and March 31 this year, using figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Shelter compared this with census information on the number of households in a particular area.

Barking and Dagenham and Newham topped the list, with an alarming one in every 38 homes potentially at risk of a possession claim.

In Slough, one in 58 homes was found to be at risk, while in Manchester the figure was about one in 66.

Shelter said 360,000 people visited its website last year to seek information on eviction and repossession.

Shelter helpline adviser Nadeem Khan said: “We’re hearing from thousands of people who have suffered in silence while they struggle to keep up with their rent or mortgage and come to us in desperation when the court papers finally land on their doormat.”

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