Food bank use across Scotland has risen by 20% to a record level in the last year, according to charity figures.

The Trussell Trust said 76,764 three-day emergency food supplies were given to people in need in the first half of 2017, with a third going to children.

The figures reflect volume rather than the number of unique users with some people being referred to foodbanks a number of times, the Trust said.

It has called for urgent action to improve Universal Credit (UC) or food banks could struggle to meet demand this winter.

Across the UK, the Trust said foodbanks in areas in which UC has been rolled out for at least six months have seen a 30% increase in demand compared to the year before.

The charity welcomed measures taken by the Scottish Government to make UC payments more flexible but said more needs to be done at Westminster to improve the administration of the benefit.

Research found that issues with a benefit payment remain the biggest cause of referral to a food bank across Scotland, accounting for 42%.

The Trust is appealing for more donations to food banks to help those in need.

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesman said: "The reasons for food bank use are wide and complex, and for this report to link it to any one issue would be misleading.

"We're clear that advance payments are widely available from the start of anyone's UC claim, and urgent cases are fast-tracked so no one should be without funds.

"We know the majority of UC claimants are confident in managing their money. Budgeting support and direct rent payments to landlords are also available to those who need them."

Scottish Labour's DWP spokesperson, Hugh Gaffney, said the figures are "appalling".

"This situation is a reflection of the low-wage economy that the Tories have presided over, with far too many people in work yet unable to make ends meet," Mr Gaffney added.