MORE than 1,000 families in Bradford are at risk of losing the roof over their heads, a homelessness charity has warned.

Shelter said its "staggering" new figures showed that almost 630 people across Yorkshire faced eviction or repossession threats every week.

And it placed Bradford in eighth place on a list of areas in Yorkshire where people were at most risk of losing their homes.

The charity said the figures were borne out by the sheer number of people visiting its website looking for advice on repossession and eviction, with 360,000 visits in the last year alone.

Alison Mohammed, Shelter’s director of services, said: "These staggering figures show just how many people are fighting to keep their families in their homes, after dealing with the double blow of welfare cuts and a drastic shortage of affordable housing."

Shelter analysed county court data showing how many mortgage providers or landlords had applied to the courts for possession orders. In 2014-15, there were 1,295 such possession claims in the Bradford district.

According to the charity's analysis, this meant 1 in every 132 mortgage holders and 1 in every 92 tenants in Bradford had been at risk of losing their homes.

Nadeem Khan, helpline adviser for Shelter, said: "We’re hearing from thousands of people who have suffered in silence while they struggle to keep up with their rent or mortgage, and come to us in desperation when the court papers finally land on their doormat.

"It’s natural to feel helpless in the face of mounting bills, but getting expert advice as soon as you start having trouble with housing payments can really help you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and keep the threat of losing your home at bay."

Bradford Council runs a Housing Options service which offers people free, confidential advice on housing and money management.

The Council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for housing, Councillor Val Slater (Lab), said: "If Shelter's figures are correct, that's a worrying situation and with some of the proposals we have heard from government, the situation could get even worse."

But she said Shelter's analysis "doesn't really fit with our experience of Bradford".

She said: "We had 84 people come to the Housing Options service last year with mortgage repossession or arrears problems, and 62 with landlord possession, so that doesn't quite match the figures that Shelter have got.

"It might be that some of the other measures we have got in place, early prevention perhaps, was helping people."