Homelessness in children has increased by more than a third in just two years.

A report has revealed that more than 1,000 young people in Harrow have no permanent home, with many living in cramped conditions in emergency hostels and B&Bs.

The statistics, which were released by former Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, show that 852 children were found to be living in temporary accommodation in the borough in 2012, rising to 874 by the end of 2013.

This increased to 1,154 children by the end of last year – a rise of 35.4 per cent over the past two years.

The senior Labour figure and London mayoral hopeful said: “It’s heartbreaking to see so many children in Harrow growing up without the basic necessity of their own home.

“Inequality is robbing these children of their childhood. We have to build more houses, we have to tackle the inequality in London and we have to start binding our city back together to build one London, not two.”

The figures place Harrow as the 21st worst for child homelessness, or alternatively, the 13th best for tackling the crisis.

A spokesman from Harrow Council said: “Most homeless children in our borough are housed in self-contained temporary accommodation, which we believe provides children in the borough with the security and safety they need.

“There is a shortage of permanent affordable housing in London, including Harrow, for families and we are helping to address this through building new council homes, as well as working in partnership with housing associations and developers.”

However in comparison, the neighbouring borough of Brent has ranked the second worst in the London list, with 5,140 children homeless.

Across the capital, one in 25 children are living in temporary accommodation, meaning 72,100 have nowhere to call home.

The London figure has increased by 25 per cent in three years, and ten per cent over the last year.

Ms Jowell added: “These figures shame our city. 70,000 children — the equivalent of every single child in a city the size of Newcastle — have no home.

“We are a city of billionaires and millionaires, yet child homelessness is disgracefully high and rising.”