CLAIMS have been lodged to repossess more than 60 homes across Bolton since the end of lockdown, the latest figures show.

According to the Ministry of Justice, 65 claims to repossess homes in Bolton were lodged by mortgage lenders and landlords between July and September, of which 30 were granted.

This comes as claims and home repossessions shot up across England and Wales over the summer, following the end of the tenant eviction ban and the lifting of most coronavirus restrictions.

Crisis charity chief executive Jon Sparkes said: "More and more people who lost their jobs and had their lives turned upside down are now being forced into homelessness.

"As more cases make their way through the courts, we sadly expect this to increase further still."

He added: "Last month the UK government did announce a winter support package of £65million for renters but with a million in arrears, it falls well short of the £270million that is needed.

"Seeing more people face homelessness is simply unacceptable."

Bolton's total of eviction claims this was higher than the 17 claims made over the same period in 2020, but fewer than the 216 recorded in 2019.

Of the claims lodged in the three months to September, 45 were made by private and social landlords against renters.

Across England and Wales, 13,000 repossession claims were submitted to county courts between July and September, a significant increase from 4,065 in the same period last year.

A UK government spokesperson said: "These statistics show a considerable decrease in repossessions compared to pre-pandemic levels, with a 64 per cent decrease in landlord claims and a 59 per cent decrease in mortgage claims compared to the same quarter in 2019.

"The action we’ve taken since the start of the pandemic helped keep renters in their homes, over 8 million households were protected by the pause in court possession proceedings."