A total of 17 households approached Southampton City Council regarding home repossessions between January and June 2008, compared to 14 for the whole of 2007.

Trevor Pickup, chief executive of The Society of St James, a Southampton charity working with the homeless, said: “We expect to see life becoming tougher, especially for single people at risk. “At the moment, people move into specialist or private accommodation but as the downturn progresses people will lose jobs and find housing benefit doesn’t cover the costs.

“People will be under more stress and some will be more at risk with alcohol. They may find that as life becomes more difficult other support mechanisms break down. The full extent of this problem depends on how long the downturn lasts.”