More Ukraine refugees in South Tyneside

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March, refugees have been invited to stay in the UK under the Ukrainian Sponsorship and Family schemes.

The former sets up refugees with hosts – who receive support from their local council – for an initial six months,

New Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) figures show 59 Ukrainian refugee households had arrived in the area by October 4 under the sponsorship scheme – up from 56 in September.

In the month to October 4, a total of 96,800 refugees had arrived in the UK.

The figures come amid warnings from charities about surging homelessness as the cost of living increases, and the initial six-month hosting period comes to an end for many.

Stan Benes, a trustee for Opora, a charity which helps Ukrainians settling in the UK, said the main reason for hosting arrangements breaking down was "the health of the relationship between guests and hosts" and that many hosts did not have sufficient guidance or support when signing up to the scheme.

A DLUHC spokespersonsaid: “We are grateful to the British public for opening up their communities to the people of Ukraine.

“The majority of sponsors want to continue hosting for longer than six months. Where guests do move on they have a number of options, including finding a new host to sponsor them.

"Councils have a duty to ensure families are not left without a roof over their heads.”