Homeless charity St Mungo's is launching the 50:50 campaign following the closure of the only outreach service for elderly people in London.

The campaign is being launched in Westminster, central London, from the only specialised older homeless peoples' shelter in the UK.

A survey released by St Mungo's revealed that one in four homeless people are over the age of 50.

St Mungo's Director of Operations Mike McCall said: "We have been warned that this could be the coldest winter we have seen for a long time.

"It is urgent that we help this vulnerable group of people from the streets."

The survey also found that 50% of older homeless people have been homeless for more than two years.

It also revealed that half have physical health problems and a larger proportion have problems with alcohol.