There is a real housing crisis in Brighton and Hove. Despite efforts to solve it by the council and housing associations, it is not getting any better.

As fast as the council makes housing available for people without it, more present themselves to the authority as homeless.

Single people, who have heard Brighton is a lovely place, arrive only to find the streets and pavements are as hard and cold as anywhere else.

Our story today reveals the misery that homeless people face and the bullying that can happen to some of their children.

What is to be done? The Government has recognised the plight of Brighton and Hove by granting it more cash for housing than anywhere else in the South-East.

But the plight is so severe that even more cash is needed to enable the council to stop using expensive bed and breakfast temporary housing and look for better, more permanent solutions.

Changes need to be made to housing benefit so that single people under 25 are not penalised unjustly and housing for key workers needs to be greatly expanded.

The Government also must approve the city's idea of having 40 per cent affordable housing in new developments.

More shared ownership schemes would also be a good way of getting people into ownership rather than renting.

The problem will never go away in a crowded, popular seaside resort but the human misery seen daily must be tackled urgently.