10,000 KIDS HOMELESS

More families forced to live in unsuitable accommodation, Alarm grows as figures rise 5% in just six months

- MARK MCGIVERN

A DESPERATE mum has pleaded for more social housing to be built after figures revealed record numbers of children are homeless and stuck in B&Bs and temporary homes.

Despite a Scottish Government pledge to move away from such accommodation, which can blight youngsters' schooling and mental health, there are now record numbers of families stuck in emergency homes.

The latest figures show that 10,360 children were living in temporary accommodation on September 30 last year, up five per cent in six months.

The figures include Melanie Kivlin and her five children, who have been stuck in a mice-infested temporary home in Edinburgh for nearly three years. They shared a single hotel room for two months before that.

Melanie, 42, said the psychological and physical pressure of bringing up a family in such circumstances has pushed her to breaking point.

She said: "I can barely describe how bad it is to be stuck in a hotel or a B&B. I couldn't put the kids in school, we had nowhere to go to get any personal space and I was cooking pot noodle stuff from a kettle every day.

"It was costing me money I didn't have for a horrible, meagre existence, even with the hotel staff showing us nothing but kindness during our stay." She added: "The home I have now is terrible and I have mouse droppings now appearing in my bed and repairs needing done.