Meet the Manchester cavemen: Homeless men and women are forced to live in CAVES as charities report surge in destitution

Sitting in a cave, this eastern European man is feared to be one of many who are resorting to living underground for shelter.
The Estonian man was pictured in sandstone caves near Stockport where others have also recently camped, leaving the natural feature strewn with rubbish and bedding.
Up to four people at a time sleep rough in the secret warren, perched on a 20ft precipice overhanging the River Mersey.......read more!

The Wellspring, a local homelessness charity, says that the caves have proved a popular temporary home for those who feel they have nowhere else to go.
Jonathan Billings, project manager for the charity, said that the number of people - including an increasing number of immigrants from Eastern Europe - seeking support has doubled over the past three years

Jonathan Billings, from homelessness charity Wellspring, says many people seeking help over accommodation are middle-class
Many of those looking for help are formerly affluent middle-class people who lost their jobs in the downturn and were left without any source of income, he said.
'Unfortunately when people are sleeping rough they will come to very dangerous places,' Mr Billings added. 'I know of people who have fallen into the river. Sometimes kids come down and set fire to their sleeping bags when they're in them.
'But if it wasn't there, it would be somewhere else. I think readers would be surprised by the extent of it - people are hidden away from the public eye. I don't think politicians are aware of the scale of the problem.
'We have got to pull together to help people, whatever their situation. Nobody wants to see people living in a cave.'
The financial crisis and subsequent devastating recession have depressed economic growth and driven up unemployment to 7.8 per cent.
However, the cost of living has continued to rise along with house prices, meaning more people than ever before are being reduced to temporary accommodation or even forced onto the street.
In London, homelessness rose by 16 per cent over the year 2012-13, while parts of Greater Manchester saw rises of as much as 40 per cent.
Leading homelessness charity Crisis has called for the Government to build thousands of new affordable homes in an attempt to tackle the burgeoning problem.
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