MORE than a third of students and apprentices in Scotland struggle to pay their rent and almost a fifth have been forced to used a foodbank, according to a survey published today.

Commissioned by National Union of Students Scotland (NUSS), the poll found that 34 per cent of respondents had encountered difficulties in paying rent in full, well above the 26 per cent UK-wide figure.

While 91 per cent had sought financial support to deal with cash crises, 19 per cent had been forced to use a foodbank, compared with 17 per cent across Britain and Northern Ireland.