Countryfile returned to screens with a brand-new episode on Sunday (March 29), but as presenters Sean Fletcher and Anita Rani explored the aftermath of Storm Goretti at St Michael's Mount in Cornwall, the programme shifted to a different focus. Reporter Datshiane Navanayagam presented a shocking report about the sharp rise in homelessness within rural areas. After sharing her own experience, she revealed: "Charities say hidden homelessness within young people is even more invisible in the countryside.

"From sofa surfing to sleeping in cars or in the woods, and this is often undercounted in statistics, meaning less support is offered." As Datshiane spoke to Ethan, who experienced homelessness at 18 in Devon, viewers took to X/Twitter with fury. One raged: "Watching #countryfile and seeing the disgraceful treatment of young British people who need accommodation and then being discarded with zero empathy. Yet hundreds of thousands of migrants have been housed and looked after without a second thought!"

Another echoed: "I'm finding this quite sad. Poor lads can't get a house. What is the difference from the 80's/90's when lads and lassies could get a job and a flat or cottage at reasonable rents?"

A third remarked: "Mad that young people in the UK get little or no help from local authorities and are left homeless - but arrive here illegally on a boat and get help and priority for accommodation."

As one BBC fan addressed Labour politicians with rage: "@darrenpjones @Keir_Starmer @UKLabour @LucyMPowell have a look at Countryfile this week regarding Homelessness, how can you put asylum seekers in accommodation and not people from our country sleeping rough, it's shocking so much for change."

A fuming fan raged: "And yet if you illegally enter the UK the government will put you up in a warm bed, feed you, clothe you, fix your teeth, give you spending money and a bus pass despite you never having paid a penny into the system but if you're a homeless native you get nothing #Countryfile."

Datshiane also spoke to Ella Nuttall, policy and research manager at Centrepoint Charity, who said: "In rural communities, we know that young people might struggle with things like lack of transport, lack of job opportunities and lack of support services."

In the report, the presenter revealed: "Official statistics show some improvements in youth homelessness in rural parts of Wales and Scotland, but new figures from Centrepoint shared exclusively with Countryfile indicate that in England, it's been getting worse.

"They looked at councils officially classed as rural because 35% or more of their population lived in rural areas, in 2024-2025, around 16,000 young people, aged 16-24, approached these rural councils saying they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, a 6% rise on the previous year."

Addressing these figures, Ella stated that the leading cause of youth homelessness is due to "family breakdown" and shared: "We know for sure data doesn't capture everybody, sadly these figures, even though shocking, are likely an underestimate, but year on year youth homelessness has been increasing, and we're reporting the same again, this year."