Children as young as four have been forced to sleep on the streets in Britain after councils refused to provide their families with emergency accommodation - in what a leading homelessness charity has branded a "total disgrace". Two families revealed how they were turned away by local authorities despite the law stating households with children are in "priority need" and must be housed if homeless.

In south London, a refugee family with five children - aged four, eight, 12, 14 and 16 - spent 12 nights sleeping rough in December after being told they were not entitled to help. The family, originally from Afghanistan, had fled the Taliban and had the legal right to live in the UK. When they could no longer afford rent, they approached Bromley Council, where the father had been living.

Despite turning up in person with their children, they were refused accommodation.

The father told ITV News: "The weather was very cold, and it was raining. People were crossing from the road, giving us blankets. I was thinking - my children could die, anything could happen."

For nearly two weeks, the family slept outside. Strangers brought food and bedding. The children asked their father how this could be happening in Britain.

He said they told him: "When we lived in Afghanistan, we were helping beggars. How come we are in this situation here?"

Desperate, they travelled across the capital and eventually slept on the steps of another council building before charity workers intervened. Only then were they placed in a hostel.

Homelessness charity Crisis says such cases are no longer isolated. It has recorded 100 people - including families with children and pregnant women - seeking help after being turned away by councils.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: ""In the last few weeks and months, we've started to see something we've never seen before. We have never seen children having to sleep rough in this country. We very often are understanding of the pressures that local councils are under because they are real, but when it comes to children sleeping rough, I'm afraid there's no sympathy whatsoever.

"You're breaking the law. It's morally outrageous. It's legally outrageous. It needs to stop and we need the government to step in and say unequivocally, this must never happen again."

In Birmingham, Mechelle and her three children - all under 12 - were forced to sleep in their car after returning from Cornwall. Her three-year-old son, who has epilepsy and a learning disability, had been suffering worsening seizures.

Mechelle said: "I was actually on the street in the car. There's no toilet, the kids crying, my boy's having seizures. It was pretty damn scary... I honestly thought I was going to lose my kids to care."

The Government says the law is clear: families with children who are homeless must be provided with temporary accommodation. Where there is any dispute over which council is responsible, interim housing should be offered immediately.

Homelessness minister Alison McGovern said: "No child should be sleeping on the streets... each case is a failure of the system."

On Thursday, new figures showed that rough sleeping has risen again. Last year, 4,667 people were recorded sleeping rough across England. More than 172,000 children are already living in temporary accommodation - the highest number on record.

A Bromley Council spokesperson said, "All approaches for housing assistance in Bromley are carefully checked to ensure that a housing duty is rightly owed. In this case, we have not received the information to date to show that a housing duty is owed by Bromley, however if further information comes to light, we will of course review this, as we are committed to providing housing in line with our statutory duties."

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "We are very sorry to hear about the problems faced by this household. Birmingham City Council recognises the difficulties this family has experienced and acknowledges the significant distress caused by their housing situation.

"We take our responsibilities to homeless families extremely seriously and remain committed to ensuring that all children and vulnerable individuals are supported and safeguarded. We are currently reviewing advice provided and ensuring that any learning from this case is embedded in the future practice.

"We are committed to acting within our statutory duties, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of children, and providing appropriate assistance to families facing homelessness.

"We can confirm that Birmingham City Council offered temporary accommodation as an interim measure for this family, and supported access to suitable permanent accommodation to end their homelessness."