HOUSING chiefs have been warned that the council is sitting on a ticking time bomb and homelessness could be about to explode.

Repossessions have already started to rise and many families are teetering on the edge after falling into arrears, a report warns.

Rising interest rates and unemployment could see those who are barely solvent losing their own homes, it says. Add these changes to the benefits system, and homelessness could go through the roof.

Already 97 people, aged between 25 and 35, have been told they need to move into shared accommodation because the rules have changed and housing benefit will no longer help towards their rent.

Many more parents whose children have left home could find themselves in the same position if they have empty bedrooms.

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