A SHOCKING rise in the number of homeless people dying in Inverclyde is set to spark an urgent investigation.

Inverclyde's health and social care convenor Robert Moran demanded a probe after new figures showed the area has the highest homeless death rate in the country.

Official National Records of Scotland data reveals that ten homeless people died in 2019 and there were a further 12 estimated deaths.

This gives a rate of 213 per million of the local population compared with the Scottish average of 52.

In the previous year a total of five deaths were linked to homelessness.

Councillor Moran has been left shocked by the bleak figures.

He said: "A more detailed analysis of this data will be required to fully understand why this has been such an issue within Inverclyde in 2019, what the underlying issues are and what more needs to be done to support people before they reach the crisis point of homelessness.

"We need a clear examination of this information to find out what, if any, underlying issues there are behind this."

Nationally more than half of the deaths linked to homelessness were drug related.

In the new stats compiled by the NRS, Inverclyde's rate of 213 deaths per million was significantly higher than second-placed South Ayrshire at 120.

In 2018 there were two confirmed homeless deaths locally and another three estimated.

The corresponding figures for the previous year were one death recorded and another estimated.

It means there has been a dramatic increase from 22 per million of the population in 2017, moving Inverclyde from 15th in the table then to top place in just two years.

Councillor Moran said: "Every death is a tragedy and must be treated as preventable.

"The question is what more can we do as a society to support people when problems happen in their lives that lead them towards homelessness and the problems associated with that."