A new emergency accommodation service for 18 to 24 year olds has been launched in a bid to combat rough sleeping in the county.

What makes the Herts Young Homeless charity’s Nightstop Herts service different from other initiatives is that the beds in the scheme are all provided by volunteers, who offer up a spare room in their own homes for up to five nights at a time.

"We’ve learned from calls to our free advice line that there is a need for Nightstop Herts. There is very limited support for the 18 to 24 age group unless they have additional needs,” explained the charity’s operations manager TJ Nicholls.

“The aim is to prevent young people from sleeping rough, 'sofa surfing', or staying in unsuitable accommodation where they could be at risk.

“They may have moved in with partners and the relationship has broken down but they're still working in the area so can’t go back home or they could need breathing space away from the family home because there's conflict, arguments or overcrowding in the house.”

Nightstop Herts currently has 12 bed spaces across Hertfordshire but the charity, which has an office in Watford, would love to be able to offer more.

All hosts are given training and have access to a 24-hour helpline. They can volunteer as little or as often as they like and are always given the final say on whether they want to accept a young person.

Hosts are also paid a fee for each night a young person stays with them.

“It didn’t seem a hard thing to do to - letting someone sleep in the spare room every now and then,” said Nightstop Herts host Sarah Hagger-Holt.

“It’s about recognising that everybody needs time and space sometimes. With family it can get pressurised, it can get difficult; there can be deeper-rooted problems as well.”