A charity is calling for an overhaul in housing policy after figures revealed that homelessness in the UK is on the rise.

According to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) 50,290 households were accepted as being homeless by local councils between the 2011/12 financial year.

The figure is a 14 per cent increase from the previous year and a 26 per cent jump since the 2009/10 financial year.

The decline also follows a fall in house building, with just 15,698 affordable housing starts between 2011/12 compared to 49,363 in 2010/11, according to statistics from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Homelessness charity Crisis is now calling for a housing policy “revolution” in a bid to reduce the rising figures.

Duncan Shrubsole, director of policy at Crisis, said: “This further rise in homelessness is yet another sign of the housing crisis we face.

“We are building just a tiny fraction of the new homes we need while Government cuts to housing benefit are hitting households across the country making it harder to rehouse those who are already homeless. We need real action now – we need a housing policy revolution.”