Shelter Scotland has responded to statistics released yesterday by the Scottish government on how many households are being referred to local authorities because they face eviction or repossession.

The statistics are being released for the first time, after landlords and lenders were required to tell councils about impending evictions or repossessions from April this year.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, the housing and homelessness charity, said: "These figures show that shockingly, around 6,000 families faced eviction or repossession in the six months between April and September this year. This is just the tip of the iceberg given that there are households out there who will have faced losing their home but which councils were not notified about.

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"The statistics show that mortgage lenders are responsible for two thirds of the actions raised, emphasising how important it is that Parliament passes the current Home Owner and Debtor Protection Bill which offers additional protection for struggling homeowners.

"The figures also show there seems to be a particular problem for homeowners in Glasgow, with almost 800 families facing repossession in just six months – a rate almost double that in Edinburgh."

Mr Brown added: "Importantly these statistics do not show what happened once councils received notification that a household was facing eviction or repossession. Did this lead to additional help being offered to tenants and homeowners or did they continue to struggle as the recession bites harder?

"We need to know that to assess if the new Section 11 legislation is working or not."

(GK/KMcA)