SCOTS living in rural homes face a “tsunami of poverty” amid rising heating costs, Scottish Labour warned yesterday as it demands clarity on energy discounts for “off-grid” properties.

Some 28 per cent of rural households use oil as their primary source of heating fuel and homes in hard-to-reach parts of Scotland are often off the grid, including Shetland and Orkney properties.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £400 energy bill discount in October for every household in Britain last week.