The National Housing Federation blames a chronic lack of affordable housing.

The result, it says, is that many thousands of people in the region will be homeless this Christmas.

The National Housing Federation claims in the South West, the number of homeless people housed in temporary accommodation has risen by 70% over the last four years, and the number of households on council waiting lists has gone up by more than a quarter.

There are now nearly 100,000 households on council waiting lists in the South West.

Devon's council have recently been given an extra �900,000 by the government to help them reduce their reliance on bed and breakfast accommodation.

Social housing

There are thought to be 3,000 households in the county living in bed and breakfast or temporary accommodation.

Homelessness in some parts of Cornwall has risen by nearly 250% in the last five years. The number of homeless people in Caradon, the worst-hit area, has risen to 241.

Councils have been trying to reduce the problem by encouraging people to lease their homes for use as social housing and fast tracking housing benefit claims for homeless people referred to private sector landlords.

Aidan King, a case worker for Shelter, said: "The government has done some things to ease the situation.

"For instance, from next April they are insisting that homeless families should not be placed in bed and breakfast for longer than six weeks.

"That's something we are really pleased about, but there's still an awful lot more that needs to be done.

"I think there needs to be more investment by the government in housing and I think it needs to be made a lot easier for councils and housing associations to build houses that will be affordable to people."