THOUSANDS of children in Scotland will spend this Christmas without a permanent home, a leading housing charity has warned.

Scottish government figures published earlier this year showed that there were 5,224 children living in temporary accommodation, an increase of 591 between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Shelter Scotland deputy director Alison Watson said: “It’s damning evidence that once again we see a big rise in the number of children in Scotland who will wake up without a permanent home this Christmas.”