PLANS to begin ferry services between Scotland and mainland Europe were unveiled by the Scottish Greens today.

Party leaders have said they want to work with publicly owned ferry firm CalMac to set up new links from places such as Rosyth, offering new ways to get to the continent.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said that having “new, low-carbon ferries carrying freight and holidaymakers” would also help to tackle climate change, with the ferries acting as an alternative to short-haul flights. 

Ms Slater said: “This is a significant strategic investment for Scotland. Brexit has shown that we need more links to Europe, with tailbacks at English ports.

“We have a publicly owned operator ready to step up to give Scots more opportunities to get to Europe without having to fly.

“I see Scotland being at the forefront of Europe’s plans to tackle the climate emergency, and new low-carbon ferries carrying freight and holidaymakers to the continent would be a great start.”