Drugs fuel huge rise in death of homeless

A HUGE increase in drugs fatalities has contributed to the biggest rise in deaths of homeless people since records began.

Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales increased by 22 per cent to 726 in 2018 – the largest rise since 2013, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

A spokesman said: “A key driver is deaths related to drug poisoning, which are up by 55 per cent since 2017, compared to 16 per cent for the population as a whole.”