A NEW scheme has been launched in Dudley to help homeless people stay warm this winter.

Dudley North MP Ian Austin has joined forces with Gather Café to introduce KINDCOATS to the town.

The scheme, which originated in Colchester last year, allows people to donate a coat to those who are sleeping rough by leaving it on a rail outside the High Street café.

The rail has signs saying 'Need one? Take one. Want to help? Leave one' and is in response to "a visible increase in the number of rough sleepers in the Dudley town centre".

Mr Austin said: “Homelessness has shot up in recent years and is not only a problem in Dudley but across the Black Country and the whole of the West Midlands.

“The number of people sleeping rough in the West Midlands has more than trebled and now winter is here more needs to be done to support those who have nowhere to live.

“Although I want more to be done to tackle the cause of homelessness, we need to be there to give help to those who find themselves without a home.

“I am sure the generous people of Dudley will get behind the idea. All you need to do is hang the coat on a rail."

Loraine Stockton, director at Gather Dudley, said: “It’s great to be working with Ian Austin to provide this kind of thing in Dudley. It works alongside our regular support for local people with homeless issues and struggling families.

“Our community is a generous one and we’re sure it will be a fantastic asset to the town and its citizens."