Many homeless people are housed in B&B accommodation

The total bill across Wales will top �4m compared to the previous financial year's total of �1.5m, the BBC's Dragon's Eye programme has discovered.

The bill for Cardiff Council in the last financial year was �1.7m, although the UK government pays half.

Of the total, the council paid �844,000, compared with just �12,000 two years before.

The rise in property prices was among the factors blamed. More than 9,000 households in Wales were considered homeless and at least 700 of those were being put up in bed and breakfast, many for more than a month.

Until the hostels are in place, we have no choice but to use bed and breakfasts Judith Woodman, Cardiff Council

According to figures obtained by Dragon's Eye, Cardiff's bill last year doubled to �1.7m, with half paid by the UK Treasury in housing benefit.

The council has said a number of factors have led to the higher bill, including increasing property prices, a change in the law which compels councils to provide for more people and the success of the right to buy scheme, which has led to fewer council houses.

Judith Woodman, deputy leader, of Cardiff Council, said: "It (the money) could be better spent, obviously, but until the hostels are in place, we have no choice but to use bed and breakfasts.

Local authorities face rising B&B bills

"I've looked at partnership schemes with housing associations and already we have one scheme, Nightingale House, coming on board early next year which will have about 25 purpose-built units."

There have been increases in bills for bed and breakfasts across many of Wales' 22 local authorities.

Gwynedd's bill has increased from �32,000 in 2002 to more than �220,000 this year, while Flintshire has a bill of �1.3m.

Flintshire Council leader Alex Aldridge said: "It's not that we don't want to address it, we want to address homelessness - a scourge in society none of us should accept.

"But when it's running up the kind of bills it's running up, then something is going to go short in administrations such as ours to address this very important issue."

The Welsh Assembly Government has estimated that the Welsh bill after the UK government's contribution is �4m, and is due to introduce legislation to prevent councils from using B&B accommodation.

Dragon's Eye is broadcast on BBC 2W at 2030 GMT and on BBC One Wales at 2235 GMT on Thursday.