Troop charity calls rise 11%

CALLS to an Armed Forces charity from veterans and serving troops are up 11%.

SSAFA said its helpline had 14,339 calls in the first half of 2018, up from 12,888 in the same period in 2017.

Some 16% of calls were about debt, 14% housing and 7% mental health.

The charity warned that changes to disability benefit eligibility have hit many veterans hard.

Meanwhile, a study in Scotland found that veterans have a 30% higher risk of self-harming.