More than half of all children in a troubled part of Barrhead are living in poverty.

The shocking plight of kids in the Arthurlie and Dovecothall area of town is revealed in a new report by Professor John McKendrick, of Glasgow Caledonian University.

Researchers found that, even in local authorities with the lowest levels of child poverty, there are pockets where a worrying number of youngsters are living in deprived circumstances.

The study shows that Arthurlie and Dovecothall is experiencing "intense" child poverty, with levels reaching almost 55 per cent.

Councils are now required to develop local action plans to tackle the issue with the passing of the Child Poverty Bill at Holyrood in November, which set statutory targets to cut child poverty.

Mr McKendrick said: "Although it would be misleading to claim that poverty is 'everywhere' in Scotland, the evidence suggests that it is far more widespread than might be expected.

"Living in poverty is not the same as living in a deprived area. Put simply, the majority of people experiencing poverty in Scotland do not live in multiple deprived areas."

The analysis is contained in a briefing paper for the independent Poverty and Inequality Commission and coincides with the launch of a poverty and inequality research unit at the university.

Mr McKendrick added: "Without question, responsibility for the most powerful tools to alleviate child poverty in Scotland rests with the UK Government.

"It must also be acknowledged that recent reductions in capacity within Scottish local authorities may have resulted in a loss of expertise among those most directly involved in local anti-poverty work.

"Similarly, constraints on local authority budgets limit the bounds of what is possible."