A FORMER homeless man from Worcester has warned of the dangers faced by people living on the streets as the mercury rises during the coming heatwave.

Hugo Sugg from Worcester city centre, who has launched a campaign called 'Somewhere in Summer' has made it his mission to highlight the plight of people living on the streets in summer as well as winter and wants people to spare a thought for people sleeping rough in such adverse conditions.

Mr Sugg has called for more regular counts of rough sleepers above the annual count in November to highlight the constantly changing situation.

The 25-year-old has emphasised the risks posed by hot weather as well as cold weather, including heat exhaustion, dehydration and sunstroke and said people sleeping rough were more vulnerable to the impact of the sun because of the nature of the way they lived.

Mr Sugg slept rough seven years ago in Hereford and was at such a low ebb he contemplated suicide so knows first hand what it is like living on the streets.

Worcester is expected to be hit by a heatwave beginning at the end of this week, rising to 28C on Sunday and into Monday and possibly hitting 30C by Tuesday according to Pershore-based Netweather.

Mr Sugg's tips as part of his #HugosEarthquake campaign, his mission to raise awareness of homelessnessm are:

1. Drink plenty of water or lemonade.

2. Don't be afraid of asking someone for a drink when they offer to help.

3. Try and stay in shade as much as possible.

4. Eat at least two meals a day as this will help your body function more.

5. If you feel unwell from being in the sun too long, go to see a doctor or get a member of the public to call 101 (non-emergency medical assistance) or 999 in an emergency.

6. If you can afford sun lotion, or someone offers this to you, put this on and this will prevent severe burning to your skin.

7. Be sensible about how many hours a day you are exposed to direct sun, as this can cause more issues.

8. Keep smiling, because it will get better soon.

Jonathan Sutton, chief executive of St Paul's Hostel in Worcester, said: “Hugo’s done really good job to raise public awareness that homelessness exists every day of the year not just when it is cold and our consciences are pricked by someone sitting in a doorway.

"I would like to see a shift in the narrative – a move away from talking about the symptoms and look at the causes.

"It seems to me that people who find themselves repeatedly on the street and being helped by St Paul’s or Maggs are more often than not deeply scarred by early life experiences - abuse, parental neglect, a poor experience in social care as a child or teenager.

"We need to shift the narrative and look at the problem through a different lens and find solutions that help people recover and repair.”