EXPERTS called on the Scottish government yesterday to use new devolved welfare powers to tackle the shocking number of rural households affected by fuel poverty.

New figures compiled by the Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force found that over half of Scotland’s rural households are living in fuel poverty, rising to 63 per cent in remote areas such as Orkney.

Households are considered to be in fuel poverty if they are spending more than 10 per cent of their income, including benefits, on heating.