SCOTTISH Labour is failing to catch the SNP as support for the Nationalists continues to grow, a new polls has shown.

The Panelbase survey, for the Sunday Times, suggested Jim Murphy's party was on course for devastating losses on May 7.

Just over a quarter (27 per cent) of Scots say they will be voting for Labour in the election, according to the poll, a drop of two points from earlier this month.

In contrast, support for the SNP is up by three points to stand at 48 per cent, the research found.

Meanwhile, 16 per cent said they will be voting Conservative, 4 per cent back the Liberal Democrats, 3 per cent support Ukip and 2 per cent will vote Green.

Labour won 41 seats in Scotland in the 2010 election but that could be slashed to just five after May 7, the research suggests.

At the same time, the SNP could see the number of MPs it has rise from six to 53. The Liberal Democrats could lose all but one of the 11 seats they won five years ago, while Scotland could have no Conservative MPs.

Panelbase questioned 1,044 voters in Scotland between April 20 and April 23, with SNP election campaign director Angus Robertson saying the results are a "further indication that the momentum in this campaign is firmly with the SNP".

He said support for the SNP had "risen even further in the last three weeks" while backing for Labour had fallen.

"Of course we are taking absolutely nothing for granted and will continue to work as hard as we can to win the trust of people across Scotland," Mr Robertson said.

"The SNP are committed to working with other progressive voices from across the UK to achieve an alternative to cuts - and this poll is the latest indication that people are backing the SNP to make Scotland stronger at Westminster."

Meanwhile a poll of polls based on Scottish samples in UK wide surveys also suggested Labour was failing to make significant inroads in the SNP's lead.

The averages, compiled by Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University, put support for the SNP on 44 per cent, down one point compared with a week ago.

Labour was on 25 per cent, up two points.

The 19 point lead is three points higher than it was at the beginning of the campaign.

Support for the Scots Tories stood at 15 per cent (down four points), the Scottish Lib Dems were on nine per cent (up three), Ukip three (unchanged) and the Greens on two (down one).

The figures suggest the SNP is on course to win 47 of Scotland's 59 seats, Labour eight, the Lib Dems three and the Conservatives one.