HOMELESS families in Worcester are still being forced to live in bed-and-breakfast accommodation for far longer than they should.

An increasing housing shortage is being cited as the "fundamental reason" why homeless people are on average spending two months in B&Bs before they are offered accommodation in the city.

Although this is a significant improvement on previous years' figures, Worcester City Council's continued failure to meet the Government's six-week target means it is at risk of legal action when families or young people are affected.

A hundred families are currently housed in different types of temporary accommodation - including B&Bs - around the city. The council says it is on target to almost half this figure by 2010.

The council's cabinet has now agreed a raft of new policies aiming to cut the length of time homeless people spend in B&Bs.

In the future, people in temporary accommodation will no longer be offered a choice of houses to move into, a luxury thgat housing officers insist Worcester can no longer afford because of the shortage of available homes.

Councillor Francis Lankester, the cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, said: "I think this is the only way we're going to meet Government targets. Virtually no other authority gives homeless people a choice of homes - I think we are the only one."

The strict rules about which types of home are offered to which households will be relaxed to allow more flexibility, so a couple with one child may be offered a three-bedroom house if no two-bedroom properties are available.

Amergency procedures are also to be agreed with housing associations to ensure any available homes are given to people in temporary accommodation first if the six-week target is about to be breached.

Labour councillor Geoff Williams, the chairman of the council's scrutiny committee, said he agreed "these are all sensible options to improve homelessness," but urged the cabinet to consult further with housing associations before implementing them.

But council leader Councillor Simon Geraghty said: "We need to lay this down as a statement of intent. It's very important we move forward on this issue and make cabinet's commitment to improving the situation absolutely clear."

The council currently houses around 200 homeless households in Worcester each year.