Emergency grants to help struggling households feed themselves have more than trebled in the last year, with almost £1 million handed out over just three months, "heart-breaking" new figures have revealed.

Data from the Scottish Government disclosed that councils had handed out Scottish Welfare Fund grants totalling £9.3 million between April and June this year.

More than 100,000 households across Scotland have received help since the scheme was set up by Holyrood ministers in April last year.

The aid scheme replaces Social Fund grants which were abolished by the UK Government's Department for Work and Pensions, with crisis grants being given to help people in an emergency, while community care grants are used to help those coming out of care set up a home as well as help people to live independently and avoid going into care.

Most crisis grants helped people with food and heating costs, with 26,300 people receiving help between April and June, according to the Scottish Government.

Grants totalling £980,000 were given to help cash-strapped households pay for food - more than three times the total of £300,000 that was awarded for the same period in 2013.

A further £7,000 in grants was given out over the quarter April to June to pay for nappies and toiletries.

While £1.9 million of cash was handed out in the form of crisis grants, community care grants amounted to £7.4 million over the same period.

These were most commonly used to pay for household furnishings, with £2 million going on grants for cookers, washing machines and fridges, while £1.8 million of grants were awarded to pay for carpets and flooring.

Hard-up households also received £130,000 in grants to allow them to buy clothes and shoes.

Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: "It is heart-breaking to see the impacts of welfare reforms laid bare, with people coming forward and applying for help to buy everything from food to shoes to beds.

"It is totally unacceptable that in a country as wealthy as Scotland anyone should be living in poverty and unable to afford items that many of us take for granted."

The Scottish Welfare Fund received 48,700 applications for help in the three months from April to June.

But since the scheme was set up 15 months ago, 62,000 households have applied for a community care grant - with 14% of them applying multiple times during this period.

There have also been 88,500 households who have applied for a crisis grant since April 2013, with 37% of them making more than one application, including 18% who applied for cash help three or more times.

Ms Burgess said the Scottish Government figures show "demand for the Welfare Fund is high and is reaching out to those in the most deprived areas of Scotland".

She added: "That's why it is important that we take forward our new Welfare Funds (Scotland) Bill to set out how welfare funds will operate within local authorities to help those most in need.

"We have already set out in the Scottish Government's submission to the Smith Commission that we need to have full responsibility over welfare and employment powers. Only full powers over welfare, employment and social policy will help us to tackle poverty and allow Scotland to become a fairer country."