MORE than two in every three children leaving care are placed in squalid bed and breakfasts by budget-stripped councils, a charity revealed yesterday.

In an undercover investigation, children’s charity Barnardo’s discovered that the Department for Education’s (DfE) figures have failed to record the over 800 young people placed in B&Bs rather than permanent accommodation.

It is believed that half of the councils in England are repeatedly placing care leavers in B&Bs, often for more than 28 days.

Barnardos director Puja Darbari said: “I am horrified that this is how we treat vulnerable young people in desperate need of a place to stay.”

Ms Darbari, who spent the night in one of these B&Bs, said the stay was a “horrible experience,” helped by “the noise of people right outside the door to the pest control box in the room and sirens waking me in the middle of the night. 

“I’m a grown woman and I was scared,” she added. 

Evidence collected by Barnardo’s revealed the B&Bs were riddled with health and safety problems, including covered up smoke alarms, faulty locks on bathroom doors and rotting window-sills. 

In newly published guidance for local authorities Barnardo’s recommended alternative lodgings with professional support, as well as making B&Bs truly a last-resort measure.

The vice-chairman of the Local Government Association’s children and young people’s board Nick Forbes argued that “councils are facing real difficulties in finding emergency care for vulnerable young people due to a shortage of housing, funding cuts and record numbers of them entering the care system.”

The Labour councillor blamed the 40 per cent cuts to local government budgets implemented by the coalition government for the growing problem. 

“Many of these young people have already had horrific childhoods,” concluded Ms Darbari. 

“Surely we owe them more than placing them on their own in such squalid and isolating environments.”

A DfE spokesman said these cases should not be taking place and that the government “will take tough action where we find councils are routinely failing these vulnerable young people.”