More than 250,000 households in Scotland have no savings and could be close to losing their homes, a charity has warned.

Shelter Scotland says 265,000 homeowners have no safety net against a drop in income and are at risk of defaulting on mortgage payments.

The lack of savings could lead to more repossessions and to some people being made homeless, the charity added.

Shelter also revealed visits to its advice website had risen sharply as homeowners struggle to meet mortgage repayments in the face of rocketing prices and tougher lending conditions.

The charity yesterday called for improvements to be made to current safeguards against defaulting on payments.

Archie Stoddart, director of Shelter Scotland, said: "These stark new figures show how thousands of people in Scotland could be at risk of finding themselves in a housing crisis and, at worst, homeless.

"Too few homeowners realise how fragile their finances are until they hit an unexpected crisis, which prevents them from paying their mortgage and other bills.

"With the potential for unsettling times ahead we must ensure we have a better safety net in place for homeowners who experience difficulties with their mortgage payments."

The warning comes ahead of a summit organised by Shelter, called The Scottish Housing Bubble, which will be held in Edinburgh on Thursday, and amid wider economic problems.

Repossession orders in the UK rose by nearly a fifth in the past 12 months, to the highest level in 16 years, according to Government data published this month, with experts predicting more repossessions in the year ahead.

Rocketing fuel, food and energy prices are also eating into people's incomes.