MORE than 40,000 calls were made to the National Domestic Abuse helpline during lockdown, a charity warned today.

Refuge, which runs the helpline, said it had received almost 80 per cent more calls than usual in June, of which 73 per cent were from survivors of domestic abuse. 

As lockdown measures ease, the charity said it has seen a surge in women needing emergency accommodation as they flee their abusers. 

Women seeking accommodation increased by 54 per cent in the first week of July compared to the last week in June – the highest number during the lockdown period, Refuge said. 

Jane Keeper, director of operations at Refuge, said: “We anticipated lockdown being a very challenging time for women living with abusive partners.

“Over the last four months, Refuge has seen huge spikes in the number of women who have needed our support during lockdown, and as restrictions start to ease we are seeing demand rise yet more.”

As lockdown measures were imposed, charities warned of a “double pandemic,” with survivors unable to escape their abusers. 

Police have also experienced a surge in reports relating to domestic abuse during the crisis. Research last week revealed that reports to the Metropolitan Police have risen by a tenth in 11 weeks since March 23, compared with the same period last year. 

Labour described the drastic surge in calls to Refuge’s helpline as “deeply alarming.” 

Shadow domestic violence minister Jess Phillips said: “These statistics today show that the government is not doing enough to ensure vital funding for this sector reaches the front line immediately. They must act now to protect all victims.”

In early May, the government announced a £76 million package to support the most vulnerable in society, including victims of domestic violence.

But campaigners have described these measures as “insufficient.” Last month Human Rights Watch accused the government of “failing” domestic abuse survivors who have been left without support due to the “erosion” of specialist services by years of cuts. 

Women’s Aid campaigns and policy manager, Lucy Hadley, said the funding crisis in specialist services and the pandemic have created a “perfect storm of challenges: lost income, increased demand, staff shortages and remote working.”

“The absence of co-ordinated government leadership to prevent violence against women and girls and reduce women’s inequality resulting from Covid-19 remains stark,” she told the Morning Star.

“Our life-saving specialist services were facing a funding crisis before Covid-19 and will continue to do so unless the government commits to a secure long-term funding solution now.”

Ms Hadley said that an estimated £393 million is needed each year to keep a safe and sustainable national network of domestic abuse services.

Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs has called for the government to put a plan in place to help tackle abuse in the home, warning that funds are set to run out in October. 

The Home Office said it had committed £1.5m “to pilot work later this year to better understand needs in this area.”