Scottish Gas is creating up to 80 new jobs in Scotland as part of a drive to improve customer service.

There will be around 60 new posts at the company's Granton contact centre in Edinburgh and up to 20 roles in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire.

The new jobs are part of British Gas's investment in 300 new roles across the UK.

Kevin Roxburgh, managing director of Scottish Gas, said: "Our customer service team is vital to the success of our company, so we're very pleased to be creating more new roles for advisers in our award-winning contact centres in Edinburgh and Uddingston.

"By ensuring we have the right people with the correct knowledge and expertise to help, we can make certain our customers get a quick response and resolution to their queries.

"These new jobs are critical to helping our customers with everything from bills and boiler breakdowns, engineer visits and energy efficiency, so we're looking for people dedicated to providing excellent service."

Labour MP Mark Lazarowicz, whose Edinburgh North and Leith constituency includes Granton, welcomed the announcement.

He said: "It is a tribute to the quality of the service provided by the staff at these centres that Scottish Gas are recruiting these additional staff which will be a great boost for local employment in north Edinburgh.

"It is also good news that this work is to be carried out in-house rather than outsourced abroad."

British Gas is also creating roles at its Manchester, Stockport, Leeds, Leicester and Oldbury contact centres.

British Gas said that, as part of its commitment to skills, all new employees would undertake a comprehensive training period where they will be given the knowledge and expertise to deliver an excellent customer experience. British Gas employs more than 28,000 people in the UK.