Homeless children spent almost one million days in temporary accommodation last year, housing campaigners have said.

Shelter Scotland deputy director Alison Watson branded the figure "staggering" and insisted it is "simply not good enough".

The housing and homeless charity has published new data showing Scotland's councils provided homeless households with an estimated 3.8 million days of temporary accommodation in 2014-15

There were an average of 10,302 households in Scotland in temporary accommodation - which can be in a bed and breakfast, hostel or local authority property - on any one night.

The figures, which Shelter Scotland obtained using freedom of information laws, showed a quarter of the households were families with children, with an average of 4373 youngsters in temporary accommodation on any given night. The charity has now raised concerns over "whether the best use is being made of this expensive resource".

A report from Shelter Scotland said: "For thousands of households every year this provision provides an important safety net in times of crisis. However, the average time spent in so-called temporary accommodation is 23 weeks, with one in ten households spending over a year there.

"This suggests that local authorities can struggle to move on households that have a right to settled, permanent accommodation in a timely manner."

The charity wants 12,000 affordable homes to be built each year over the next five years to drive down the need for temporary accommodation.

Ms Watson said: "The impact of homelessness on children can be devastating to their health and life chances, with each homeless child losing on average 55 days of schooling a year.

"To tackle Scotland's housing crisis and help end housing-related poverty, the Scottish Government needs to commit to a major house building programme of at least 12,000 new affordable homes each year for the next five years.

"The Scottish Government also needs to develop and endorse guidance on temporary accommodation standards to ensure that stays in temporary accommodation are a positive stepping stone rather than life in limbo for all those waiting for a decent, secure and affordable home."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We have legislated to enhance protections for families and continue to support local authorities in delivering on Scotland's strong legal protections for homeless households.

"The latest figures show a total of 25 families were living in bed and breakfast accommodation across Scotland. We wrote to local authorities late last year to find out the reasons behind this, and many are developing strategies in order to reduce B&B use and improve use of temporary accommodation for homeless households.

"We are doing everything we can to make sure everyone has access to a warm and safe place to stay when homelessness occurs. We have exceeded our housing target of 30,000 affordable homes within the current parliamentary term, and have committed to deliver 50,000 more affordable homes, 35,000 of which would be for social rent."

Scottish Labour's communities spokesman Ken Macintosh said: "Homelessness is devastating for anyone affected and the impact on children is of particular concern. Last week the First Minister finally admitted Scotland is facing a housing crisis and if ever there was evidence needed, this is it.

"Everyone deserves a decent and warm home. Getting it right on housing is vital to not only tackling inequality but also growing our economy."