North Ayrshire has the second highest rate of child poverty in Scotland, new figures have revealed.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has released its latest UK poverty report, which found that 14.4million people were living in poverty across the UK in 2021/22.

The report found that more than one in four children in both North Ayrshire and East Ayrshire were living in poverty during this period.

North Ayrshire had the second highest rate of child poverty behind Glasgow, with 29% of young people below the poverty line. 

In East Ayrshire, 27% of children were living in poverty, with South Ayrshire's figure standing at 24%.

Paul Kissack, chief executive of the JRF, said: "This is social failure at scale. 

"It is a story of both moral and fiscal irresponsibility - an affront to the dignity of those living in hardship, while driving up pressures on public services like the NHS."

The full report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation can be found at www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2024-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk.