Anti–abuse website traffic up 600%

THE number of visits to a website offering advice to victims of domestic abuse rose by 600 per cent following the weekend’s Old Firm match, a charity has said.

Shelter Scotland said it also saw a rise in traffic to webpages titled “Leaving home in a hurry” and “Legal action on partners”.

The charity runs a Facebook advertising campaign leading to its own website, and the increase, when compared with other weekends the campaign has run, coincided with Sunday’s Rangers v Celtic match.

The football fixture has been described by police as a catalyst for domestic abuse.

Alison Watson, head of services at Shelter Scotland, said: “These figures show that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people across Scotland, mainly women, went online last weekend to find advice and help on issues related to domestic abuse.”