Rough sleeping in Birmingham has hit record levels after rising 53 per cent in one year and is an “appalling blot” on the city’s reputation, according to a leading charity.

Official figures, released by the Department for Communities and Local Government today, suggest 55 people were sleeping rough on the city’s streets on a single night last November.

That is up 53 per cent from the 36 recorded in 2015 and six times the nine people counted in 2010.

Across the seven West Midlands metropolitan councils, the total number of rough sleepers was 132.

The official count, carried out by councillors, council officers and charity workers , took place just days before a homeless man died on John Bright Street.

They are thought to underestimate the levels - particularly missing people sleeping in cars, sheds and derelict buildings.

The figures were released just as Birmingham City Council is considering a £10 million cut to its £24 million supporting people fund, which pays for services to prevent homelessness and enable vulnerable people to keep a roof over their head.

Alan Fraser, chief executive of Birmingham YMCA, said: “These latest figures are an appalling blot on Birmingham’s reputation but the reasons for them are not hard to see.

“Services to rough sleepers have been cut back, benefit entitlements have been reduced, hostels are closing or being forced to restrict the type of people they can help.

“We have seen the tragic consequences of these changes before Christmas and these figures merely reinforce the urgency of the situation.

“When people are literally dying on our streets, it cannot be right for the council to divert money intended for the most vulnerable in our community to other services.”

Volunteers from Muslim Aid hand out winter rucksacks to Birmingham rough sleepers.

He said the Government’s cuts had hit services hard but added the council was making matters much worse with its new budget proposals.

“We need to be clear - this is a choice the council is making; this cut cannot be blamed on central government,” he added.

Jean Templeton, chief executive of St Basil’s charity , added: “Is it OK to have people living and dying on our streets?

“We would all agree not.

"It is false economy to cut these life-saving services. We know what works, we just need the commitment and resources to achieve it.”

The council’s Labour leader has previously highlighted the increase in rough sleeping as a national trend and blamed the Government’s welfare cuts for plunging more people into debt and out on the street.

Cllr Sharon Thompson, the council’s ambassador for homelessness, said: “This is a national crisis and we are working hard with our partners to tackle it as best we can.

“It is largely due to our partnership working that Birmingham is still below the national average rate of 0.18 per thousand.

“Despite our considerable financial pressures, we commission a wide range of services to support rough sleepers and those facing homelessness - whether young people, victims of domestic abuse, former offenders or entrenched rough sleepers.

“We have capacity for all the city’s rough sleepers and the daily outreach staff work hard to encourage them to use our accommodation and specialist services.

“We are listening to rough sleepers and have recently commissioned hostels that take in couples and rough sleepers with their dogs.”

Across England, 4,134 people were sleeping rough in autumn 2016, up 16 per cent from 3,569 in 2015.

The number is up 134 per cent from 1,768 in 2010.

Birmingham City Council is currently reviewing its homelessness policy and the backbench housing scrutiny committee is conducting an enquiry into rough sleeping.

Committee chairman Victoria Quinn was part of a team which found 24 rough sleepers on the official count and said at the time: “Everyone we came across hit us hard and profoundly.”