Shelter said new figures show that in the first quarter of 2006 more than 6,800 people in the eastern region were living in temporary accommodation.

The number is double the 2,730 figure in temporary accommodation in 1997.

Shelter says an average of 8,000 social rented homes need to be built each year up to 2021 to help solve the crisis.

NUMBER IN TEMPORARY ACCOMODATION IN 2006 Beds: 1,262 Cambs: 597 Essex: 2,420 Herts: 1,159 Norfolk: 599 Northants: 315 Suffolk: 471

Adam Sampson, director of Shelter, said: "Many ordinary families can no longer afford to buy or even rent at today's prices, forcing them to cram in with friends or family or leaving them with no choice but to face the misery of homelessness.

"Yet there simply aren't enough social rented homes to provide a safety net for those in the greatest need. It's the region's poorest families who are paying the price.

"The East of England Plan must build the social rented homes needed to give homeless and badly housed children the chance of a brighter future."

In the eastern region, the county with the most people living in temporary accommodation is Essex with 2,420 cases, while Northamptonshire, with 315 people, has the lowest number.