New figures have revealed more than a dozen homeless people have died in Oldham over the past five years as charities warn the cost-of-living-crisis and the "toughest winter" yet lies ahead. 

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collates the deaths of homeless people under the age of 75, including their location, age and cause of death.

The latest data reveals there were 14 deaths in Oldham between 2017 and 2021.

However, of these, three occurred in the last year alone.

Across the North West, there have been an estimated 588 deaths of homeless people in the past five years.

Meanwhile, across England and Wales, the ONS estimates 741 homeless people died in 2021, up eight per cent from 688 the year before but down from a peak of 788 in 2019.

Men accounted for 87 per cent of deaths in 2021 compared with 13 per cent for women.

An estimated 259 deaths were related to drug poisoning (35 per cent in total) while alcohol-specific causes and suicide accounted for 71 (10 per cent) and 99 (13 per cent) deaths respectively.

Separate figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show there were 1,619 households presented as homeless in Oldham in the year to March.

But homeless charities across the country warn the cost-of-living crisis coupled with "one of the toughest winters yet", exacerbated by rents rising while housing benefits stay frozen, means more people may be forced out onto the streets.

The housing charity, Shelter, said the figures are "utterly awful and unacceptable".

Polly Neate, chief executive of the charity, added: "The government promised to end rough sleeping, but things are getting worse not better.

"They must immediately unfreeze and increase housing benefit to protect people from the ravages of homelessness this winter, and to keep people off the streets for good it has to invest in building good quality, supported social homes."

The charity Crisis also said it was preparing for "an incredibly challenging winter" with "thousands" pushed to breaking point by the cost-of-living crisis.

Chief executive Matt Downie said: "These dire economic times must not lead to more people falling through the cracks and dying needlessly on our streets."

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said "good progress has been made" toward tackling rough sleeping, but that these figures were a reminder that there is still more to be done.

They added that the government is providing £2bn over the next three years to tackle homelessness.