HOMELESSNESS charities have warned that there may be deaths on city streets as temperatures plummet to their lowest this year.

Temperatures on Sunday dipped as low as -4°C with the mercury predicted to plunge even lower as the ongoing cold snap in the city continues.

Glasgow’s only winter night shelter for the city’s homeless population is open for four months of the year, but unfortunately does not begin operation for 2019 until December 1.

Groups in the city who work with individuals who are street homeless warn tragedies could follow in the colder months ahead.

Anton Reilly of Help the Homeless Glasgow said: “I have no doubt about it.

“They don’t want it being common knowledge that there’s people dead on our street in this day and age.

“I will be on the streets early one morning this week again to give jackets and sleeping bags to anyone I come across - doing the council’s work for them. "They’re just not interested."

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Last year 47 homeless people in Glasgow died while without accommodation in the city.

Others working with the city’s homeless population have called for more to be done, and for publicly-owned spaces to be made available as emergency shelter from the cold.

The Scottish Tenants’ Organisation’s Sean Clerkin said: “The council should be opening up buildings now.

"The night shelter doesn’t open until December and there are empty buildings across the city."

Politicians have also warned of the regularity of such deaths.

Glasgow Labour general election candidate Paul Sweeney said: “Rough sleeping has increased and people are dying of hypothermia.

“A decade ago rough sleeping had been nearly eradicated. These deaths can be prevented, if the government had the will to. It should be our priority.”

Living Rent, Scotland's tenants' union, recently launched an online petition for a "winter break" from evictions to stop any new deaths on the street in Scotland.

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The risk of dying on the streets is much higher during the winter months.

Living Rent wants the Scottish Government to adopt a similar policy to France, which has had a "winter break" since December 1956.

It helps protect residents from being thrown out into the cold from November 1 until March 31.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow’s Health & Social Care Partnership said: “Homelessness services have not been officially notified of the death of anyone they have been working with."

The council also urged anyone with concerns about a rough sleeper to call 0800 027 7466. Lane, Glasgow.