FOODBANK use in Scotland has increased by more than 15 per cent in the past year with the rise in Scotland higher than anywhere else in the UK.

Bosses said the rise was in part due to benefits not covering the cost of essentials, forcing people to look for help.

Scottish foodbanks in The Trussell Trust’s network distributed 170,625 three day emergency food supplies to people in crisis in the past financial year, a rise of 17 per cent on the year before.

Some 55,038 of these went to children.

The UK-wide average increase this year is 13 per cent.

The charity is now calling for benefit levels to be uprated in line with inflation to ensure payments keep pace with the cost of living.

Tony Graham, Director of Scotland at The Trussell Trust, said: “In Scotland we expect no one should be left hungry or destitute - illness, disability, family breakdown or the loss of a job could happen to any of us, and we owe it to each other to make sure sufficient financial support is in place when we need it most.

"It’s completely unacceptable that anyone is forced to turn to a foodbank in Scotland, and we’ll continue to campaign for systemic change until everyone has enough money coming in to keep pace with the rising cost of essentials like food and housing.

“Universal Credit is the future of our benefits system.

"It’s vital we get it right and ensure levels of payment protect everyone needing its support, particularly groups of people we know are already more likely to need a foodbank - disabled people, people dealing with an illness, families with children and single parents.

"This, along with a Good Food Nation Bill that addresses hunger and destitution, can ensure Scotland leads the way in ending the need for foodbanks.”

The Trussell Trust said that for the first time, new data highlights the growing proportion of Scottish foodbank referrals due to benefit levels not covering the costs of essentials, driving the increase in foodbank use overall.

'Low income’ accounts for 28 per cent of referrals country-wide compared to 22 per cent in the previous year.

Debt accounted for an increasing percentage of referrals - 8 per cent up from 7 per cent of referrals in the past year.

Rising costs of housing and utility bills are increasingly driving foodbank referrals.

Benefit delays accounted for 22 per cent of referrals and benefit changes for 18 per cent.

There is a decline in people being referred due to benefits sanctions but the proportion of referrals in Scotland is still 5 per cent higher than the UK average.

The release of the figures is accompanied by the publication of Left Behind: Is Universal Credit Truly Universal?, a new report into Universal Credit and foodbank use.

The findings, from a survey of 284 people on UC referred to foodbanks, show the impact of the initial wait, the lack of available statutory support, the inability of Universal Credit payments to cover the cost of living for people who need it most, and poor administration.

The Trussell Trust is also calling for a requirement to be placed on Local Authorities to deliver a Universal Support service to everyone who starts a Universal Credit claim.

It is also asking for an urgent inquiry into poor administration within Universal Credit, so errors such as incorrect payments along with poor communication issues can be tackled.