Local authority homelessness strategies are failing to take account of the needs of gypsies and travellers, the Liberal Democrats have warned.

A survey of councils conducted by the party found many councils appear unaware that the Homelessness Act 2003 classifies travellers living in unlawful encampments as homeless.

Of the 152 authorities whose homelessness strategies were checked, 107 did not mention travellers.

"Local authorities which experience unauthorised encampments of travellers need to recognise the fact that any person living on an unauthorised site is homeless in law," said Lib Dem peer Lord Avebury, who is president of the Advisory Council for the Education of Romanies and Travellers.

"Travellers do not want the upheaval of being moved on from unlawful sites, but do not have a choice if the local authorities fail to provide lawful sites."

The research also found that most officials dealing with homelessness in the local authorities were unaware of their council's homelessness strategy and did not have acopy of it.

And few of the strategies refer to the local authority's Race Equality Statement or the Race Relations (Amendment) Act.

Lord Avebury called on neighbouring authorities to consider working together on common strategies for dealing with the issue.

"We need a solution which provides comprehensive improvements for travellers, for local people and local authorities," he said.

The research was backed by Commission for Racial Equality chairman Trevor Phillips.

"Across pretty much every index of deprivation, gypsies and travellers are particularly disadvantaged," he said.

"We therefore welcome this research as it highlights the way in which gypsies and travellers are consistently overlooked by policy makers in local government."

And Andrew Ryder of the Traveller Law Reform Coalition said that the failure to consider the needs of travellers was "symptomatic of the general exclusion from which this group suffers".

He called on the government to use its forthcoming Housing Bill to increase the provision of traveller accommodation.

Lord Avebury also wrote to the prime minister suggesting that his Social Exclusion Unit should review the problems faced by travellers.

In his reply, Tony Blair said that the unit faced many calls to examine different areas of policy, but the need to report on the issues facing travellers would be examined.