A Lincs charity is claiming there are seven times more homeless people in a town than official figures admit. A count took place last month in Boston on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
It found just three people sleeping rough, but Centrepoint Outreach said their own research suggested the real figure was likely to be more than 20.
It claimed the survey was flawed and better suited to big cities rather than smaller places like Boston.
The ODPM rejected the criticism and said independent evaluations had confirmed the robustness of the count's accuracy.
A spokesperson said official guidance sets out clearly who should be counted as a rough sleeper.
People sleeping in the open air - such as on the streets, or in doorways, parks or bus shelters - and people in buildings or other places not designed for habitation are all counted, the ODPM said.
Public perception of rough sleeping can often be affected by people seen drinking and begging on the streets during the day, but who do not sleep rough overnight and have homes to return to.
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