1,500 Kids Homeless For Christmas

More than 1,500 children under ten are likely to have spent Christmas in temporary accommodation, according to the Liberal Democrats.

The figures, from just two thirds of Scotland's councils, have been branded "appalling" by MSP Jim Hume, who says it reflects the "shocking extent of Scotland's housing crisis".

Temporary accommodation can include B&Bs, hostels or short-term houses.

Mr Hume says he fears the number will rise: "This situation will only worsen ahead of Right to Buy reaching an end in 2017.

"Safe, warm housing is the bedrock for stable family settings. We stand fully behind Shelter Scotland in their campaign to get the Scottish Government to build more homes for social rent."

Right to Buy was a policy introduced by Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Government in 1980, which gave council tenants the chance to purchase their homes at a discounted rate.

Nearly half a million Scots have taken advantage of the scheme, but critics say it's left councils with a serious shortage of housing.

MSPs passed a law earlier this year to scrap the scheme, and existing tenants have two years left to buy their homes.