More than 2,500 homeless children will be living in temporary accommodation over the festive period in Wandsworth, the equivalent of five youngsters in every school, according to estimates by the homelessness charity Shelter.

The charity estimates that 2,736 children in Wandsworth borough will wake up on Christmas morning without a permanent home, a 207 percent increase in the space of five years.

While Westminster, Haringey and Newham are the worst-affected local authorities in London, Wandsworth is 17th on the national list. In Wandsworth the population of people aged 0-17 is 63,019. According to the data, 4 percent of children will be without a home this winter.

The new analysis from Shelter has found a 49 percent increase in London over the last five years. The charity warns the impact of the housing crisis will be felt across a generation as one in every 103 children in Britain is now homeless – climbing to one in every 23 in the capital.

An estimated, 87,310 children in London will now wake up on Christmas morning without a permanent home. In London, there are an average of 28 homeless children for every school.

Shelter has found that teachers who worked with homeless students reported that they saw the situation causing severe emotional trauma leading to emotional stress, anxiety and problematic behaviours.

Teachers also have reported homeless students facing a range of practical challenges from keeping track of possessions and uniform, to staying clean due to limited access to bathroom or laundry facilities.

Of these, over 4,400 will spend their Christmas in a hostel or BnB, often with one family in a single room, sharing bathrooms and kitchens with other residents.

The charity is calling on the public to support its urgent Christmas appeal - to give families the vital helpline advice and services they need in order to keep their homes over the festive period. Nationally 131,00 children in Britain are now homeless, the highest number in over a decade.

Greg Beales, director of campaigns at Shelter said, “No child should be homeless. But for the generation growing up in the housing crisis, this is the grim reality for many.

"The increasing number of children hidden away in hostels and BnBs is enough to make anyone’s heart sink. These are not places for children.

"We hear about cold, damp – even rats. Young children are sharing beds with multiple family members, trying to play in dirty public corridors, and having to leave their block in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

“Over the last five years, hundreds of thousands of children have known what it’s like to be homeless. The impact these young people cannot be overstated. It doesn’t have to be this way. If we act now, we can change tomorrow to make sure every child has somewhere they can call home.”

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: "All councils in London are experiencing an increase in cases, although it is worth pointing out that these figures are not people sleeping rough on the streets, but essentially people residing in temporary accommodation with a roof over their heads while a permanent home is found for them.

"The majority of the temporary accommodation we provide is in self-contained homes within this borough.

"Here in Wandsworth we have approved a wide ranging package of measures, including buying and building new homes so we can ensure that people in genuine need receive help and support and can be offered permanent homes close to the areas they grew up in.

"We are also increasing the supply of affordable homes with 3,000 built over the past decade, another 1,700 due to be completed within the next three years and a target of 18,000 over the coming decade.”

Tonight (December 5) hundreds of Londoners will embark on a 10km night-time fundraising walk across the city for Sleep Walk for Shelter. To support Shelter’s urgent appeal please visit www.shelter.org.uk or text SHELTER to 70020 to donate £3.