The show said Stoke-on-Trent was "depressed - and depressing"

Mark Meredith said claims on Location, Location, Location that 20% of families are homeless were false. The city was named the 13th worst area in the poll.

He has now written to the channel's chairman demanding a retraction.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said all the figures used in the programme came from official statistics and were checked.

Elected mayor Mr Meredith said that if the Channel 4 figures were correct, there would be 20,000 homeless families in the city, when he believed the actual figure was just 13.

A profile about the city on the Location, Location, Location section of the channel's website said Stoke was "one of the most depressed - and depressing - areas in the country".

'Oblivion for free'

It said: "Nearly one-in-five families here is officially homeless - stuck in B&Bs and hostels.

What we saw on television was a grave insult Elected mayor Mark Meredith

"There are houses to be had for as little as �50,000, meaning you'll be able to snap up four terraced houses for the national average.

"Britain's number one theme park Alton Towers is just down the road, but why pay �35 for a ride on Oblivion when it's right here for free?"

Mr Meredith said the city's reputation in dealing with homelessness was so good the government held it up as an example to other areas.

He said: "What we saw on television was a grave insult, both to the people of Stoke-on-Trent and to the staff at the city council, who work so hard to prevent homelessness."

A spokeswoman for Channel Four said: "The whole survey is based on official statistics from sources like the Department for Health and Stoke-on-Trent's own local authority.

"They were all double and triple checked before it went on air."