Research by Shelter Scotland has uncovered that over one in four people say housing costs cause stress or depression in their family.

The YouGov survey showed that more people in Scotland say they have lost sleep from the stress of paying for their home than people in England and Wales.

Twenty-eight per cent of people in Scotland say the stress of paying for housing has kept them awake at night, compared to 25 per cent in England and 26 per cent in Wales.

Shelter Scotland’s research also shows that the struggle to pay the rent or mortgage is taking its toll on relationships, with just over one in four people admitting that housing cost worries are causing arguments with their partner and other family members.

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This follows research earlier this month from the housing and homelessness charity which showed that 1.5 million rent or mortgage payers in Scotland are constantly struggling to keep up with their payments.

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: "These findings reveal the heartbreaking reality of over a million families and individuals living on a knife edge, worrying about paying their rent or mortgage.

"Behind closed doors they face stress, sleepless nights and strained relationships as they desperately struggle to afford their housing bills.

"With little or no chance of things getting better any time soon our worry is that even more families will face the human tragedy of homelessness this year. We are here to help – a problem shared is a problem halved.

"Anyone who is experiencing housing difficulties should seek advice sooner rather than later by calling our free national helpline on 0808 800 4444 or by visiting www.shelterscotland.org"

(GK)