SHOCK warnings are being made about a "Tsunami" of rough sleepers in Worcester - with the numbers of people declaring themselves homeless on the rise.

New figures have revealed how nearly 1,300 desperate people have gone to Worcester City Council in one year to say they've been turfed onto the streets, a hike of 10 per cent in 12 months.

But the council's senior officer in charge of homelessness prevention and housing has warned of the service facing a worrying future, with serious fears vital funding could be slashed next year due to Government cuts.

Councillors have called the situation "very desperate", with warnings the demand is expected to rise further.

The city council did a rough sleepers count earlier this year which showed 22 people living on the streets.

They say in 2014/15 1,296 people approached them to declare themselves homeless, a rise of 115 on the previous year.

But as your Worcester News revealed in July, a key £26.5 million public health budget is being slashed 12 per cent, by £3.3 million this year.

The fund, which is managed by Worcestershire County Council, faces losing its entire £95,000 homelessness kitty, as well as £1.1 million off housing advice, 10 per cent off the £463,000 spent towards domestic abuse support and 10 per cent off the £4.3 million sunk into drug and alcohol addiction.

The proposals, which have been drawn up reluctantly at County Hall, are due to kick in from next April and will impact the whole of Worcestershire unless lobbying with the Government for a reprieve is successful.

Nina Warrington, strategic housing services manager at the city council, says she is fearing the impact.

"From an individual point of view I'm still shocked to still be talking about rough sleepers in 2015, it's a very difficult issue and the state always picks up the costs," she said.

"Life expectancy for someone who sleeps rough for over a year is just 40, it's quite a shocking figure."

Speaking during a meeting of the council's scrutiny committee, she was asked by Councillor Geoff Williams if it was "inevitable" that the situation would get worse, citing the funding cuts and incoming benefit reductions.

He said: "With all this and more people affected by welfare 'disbenefits' is it more likely we'll see an increase in rough sleepers, and will your resources be insufficient to deal with it?"

She said: "It's almost like a Tsunami waiting to happen, I do tend to agree with that view.

"With our resources depleting and welfare reform, from a homelessness point of view we'll still get people come in, have to place them in B&B accommodation, which is a costly form of provision and we won't be able to move them on."

Councillor Roger Berry called it "a very desperate situation", saying: "At some point it will build up and explode."

The city council will meet with bosses at County Hall next week, including chief executive Clare Marchant, to discuss the funding cuts.

Of the 1,296 people to declare themselves homeless in Worcester last year 764 were given advice and prevention, 361 were rejected and 171 were accepted as homeless, meaning they ended up in places like hostels or a B&B.