There has been a 14% increase in the number of crisis grants handed out to struggling Scots to pay for basics such as food and heating.

One in 10 of the grants made in 2016-17 were needed because benefit payments were late, with Holyrood's Social Security Secretary Jeane Freeman criticising the UK Government's "harsh welfare cuts".

She made the comments after new figures showed £34.7 million was awarded to struggling households from the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2016-17.

Since the scheme was set up in April 2013, more than 254,000 households have received cash worth £132.6 million to help them in difficult times.

Ms Freeman said: "The Scottish Welfare Fund continues to provide a vital lifeline, supporting over a quarter of a million low-income households, who are suffering from emergency and disasters, in the last four years.

"For many, it provides much-needed help for the everyday items that no-one should be denied simply because of the hardship they face."

Crisis grants can be given to low-income families to help in an emergency situation, with increasing numbers of households applying for support last year.

Councils received 164,965 requests for help in 2016-17, resulting in 116,830 grants being made worth an average of £79 - with the total value of crisis grants amounting to £9.3 million.

In addition, community care grants - which help families facing exceptional pressures with one-off items such as a cooker or washing machine - totalling £25.4 million were made in 2016-17.

A total of 42,775 grants were awarded, with these having an average value of £595.

Between 2015-16 and 2016-17, applications to the fund increased by about 21,250 (10%) - with the rise due to a "a large increase in the number of crisis grant applications".

These were 15% higher than in 2015-16, according to the Scottish Government report.

About two-fifths (41%) of crisis grants applications were made because people had spent all of their benefit and any other income, a drop of 6% on the previous year.

Just over 17,500 applications were made because of delays in benefit payments, with this reason accounting for about 10% of all crisis grant applications in 2016-17.

Ms Freeman repeated calls for the roll-out of the new Universal Credit benefit to be halted as she pledged the Scottish Government would "continue to do all we can to support hard-pressed families and individuals who are struggling to make ends meet".

She said: "This year we can now see clearly the impact of the UK Government's harsh welfare cuts and a system that is broken - with around 10% of crisis funding being needed to cope with the severe impact of benefit delays.

"We have repeatedly warned that the UK Government's chaotic roll-out of universal credit, particularly the unreasonable six-week wait for first payment, is having an adverse impact on people.

"Let me repeat again our urgent call for the UK Government to listen to the real-life impact of their policies and immediately halt its roll-out, or risk pushing more households into hardship.

"It is not acceptable in 2017 that people find themselves in these situations through no fault of their own."