Conditions in temporary accommodation are so bad, many people would rather sleep on the streets, according to 37 year old Victoria Fox.

She spent nine months in an Edinburgh B&B while waiting to be rehoused. Left homeless after fleeing an abusive partner, she found herself in a room with no cooking or laundry facilities, sharing washing facilities with 14 other residents.

The owner insisted on a 10pm curfew, even on one occasion when she had to take her new partner to hospital. The landlord also rummaged through their possessions when they were out, quizzing them about medicine he had found. “It was icky, it makes you feel as if you’ve been burgled if someone has gone through your personal possessions,” she said. “There was a complete lack off facilities and t was impossible to eat properly.”