The number of people dying while homeless in Dorset is "an absolute tragedy," a councillor has said.

52 homeless people in the south west died in 2017, new figures from the Office for National Statistics have revealed. From 2013 to 2017, a total of 254 homeless people died in the region.

As reported by the Echo in November, data from homeless charity Shelter revealed Weymouth and Portland has the highest rate of homelessness in Dorset.

Cllr Gill Taylor, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s spokesman for housing, said: "The death of anyone who is homeless is an absolute tragedy.

"Many individuals who are sleeping rough have a range of issues which are impacting their lives. Julian House provide our rough sleeper outreach service and carry out a rounded approach with these individuals.

"Our aim is to get anyone who is homeless into permanent accommodation. If this isn’t possible, we use temporary accommodation, until suitable accommodation becomes available. Weymouth also has an innovative volunteer scheme in the Bus Shelter Dorset, who provide accommodation on a referral basis.

"If anyone has any concerns about someone sleeping rough, inform StreetLink at streetlink.force.com. The details you provide are sent to Julian House and the relevant council for the area in which you have seen the person. This helps pinpoint the exact location of the individual and connect them to support.”

The figures released by the ONS are the first ever experimental statistics of the number of deaths of homeless people in England and Wales.

An estimated 597 homeless people in England and Wales in 2017, a figure that has increased by 24 per cent over the last five years. There were five times as many male deaths compared to female deaths.

Emily McCarron, co-founder of The Bus Shelter Dorset which works to help rough sleepers in Weymouth, said: "It is tragic that there are people sleeping on the streets never mind dying on them.

"Having worked in this field for a number of years we have seen countless people pass away without the dignity of their own home and that is exactly why we have set up The Bus Shelter.

"We have helped a number of guests who would have died on the streets without the Bus and the support we have offered.

"The Bus is somewhere safe and secure for people to stay instead of having to be on the streets and although it is only temporary it is their home while they are there, with the unique opportunity to engage and access the 24 hour support we offer."