Devastated Michael Christie says his family is being pushed into ‘funeral poverty’ after being unable to access a crucial benefit to help pay for his brother's burial.

He is calling on the Scottish Government to make more people aware of the existence of the Funeral Support Payment, which he says would ease the financial burden on grieving families.

Michael, from Govanhill, claims the one-off payment of up to £1500 would have made a massive difference to his family after they lost Simon following a brave battle with cancer.

He told the Glasgow Times: “Simon was battling oesophageal cancer and we were heartbroken when he died. He coped with so much and was courageous throughout it all.

“Losing a loved one is hard enough without the added pressure of worrying about the cost of burying a family member. At no point did the funeral directors make my family aware of the payment, which would have been a massive help towards covering some of the expense.

"Unfortunately I was told because the invoice for his burial wasn’t in my name, I’m unable to claim it.”

The payout is available to those on certain benefits or who are entitled to tax credits.

Michael, 40, who suffers from long-term health problems, claims he was told he could only receive the money if his name was on the invoice settling the bill for Simon’s burial.

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He explains: “I watched my brother go through months of agony before he passed away.

“I believe more compassion should be shown to families who need extra financial help to prevent them from falling into debt to cover burial costs.

“I had no idea this payment even existed; nobody I have spoken to seems to have heard of it either. I believe that funeral directors should have a moral obligation to make grieving families aware about how to apply as the criteria seems unfair.

“Covering the cost of a burial is very expensive, particularly for those who don’t have any savings or income.

“It caused a lot of stress and worry for my family and I just wish I had known about all of this in advance. It would have eased the stress that we were under."

In Scotland it's estimated that the fee for a funeral is around £3500. For many families covering that cost piles on extra pressure during what is already a difficult and stressful time.

According to Citizens Advice, funeral debt has rocketed to a record high of £160m as families struggle to meet the pressures of giving loved ones a respectful send-off.

One in four families also said they have had to borrow from family or friends to cover the cost of a final farewell - and a quarter have been forced to take out a loan or an overdraft to meet the cost.

Simon, 49, from Paisley, passed away at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley on July 27 after developing pneumonia.

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Michael believes the Scottish Government must act now to make more people aware of the lifeline payment - and is calling for it to be better publicised.

He has also raised the issue with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's office.

He explained: “I feel so strongly about this, and I know if we have experienced this as a family then others will have too.

“No one should have to go into debt to bury a loved one and I genuinely believe not enough people know that this payment exists. People can only apply once the funeral has taken place and that’s just not good enough.

“I have raised my concerns with the First Minister and I hope she takes them on board. Changes need to be made to make this crucial support more accessible to those in need.

"I’d also like to see all funeral directors take responsibility and pass the information on to those in hardship. It should be made a legal requirement that they tell families this is there for them.

“More needs to be done to resolve this issue. I really hope speaking out helps to drive change and make more people aware."

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A Social Security Scotland spokesperson said: “When applying for Funeral Support Payment, clients need to provide evidence that they are responsible for funeral costs.

"We appreciate bereavement is an extremely difficult time and clients have up to six months after the funeral to apply.

“The payment has been at the centre of national communications and marketing campaigns.

“Since launch, 17,205 applications have been authorised for Funeral Support Payment, providing £27.7m of support to 15,700 low income families at a time when they need it most.

“People have the right to challenge and ask for an appeal if they believe that we have not made the right decision.”