BORIS Johnson's proposals for a bridge or tunnel connecting Northern Ireland and Scotland have faced criticism from the Fraser of Allander Institute think tank.
The Tory Government has said it is discussing plans for a so-called "Boris Bridge", or tunnel, to link Larne with Portpatrick.
The think tank's director Graeme Roy ridiculed the £20 billion plans in a statement.
He said: “In short, it won’t deliver the economic boost some claim, it isn’t a priority, it would go to the wrong location, it wouldn’t be consistent with climate change objectives, and the money could be better spent on other things.
“Apart from that, it’s a cracking idea.”
READ MORE: Angry 'Boris Bridge' architect says idea is no ‘fantasy'
Since the idea of a bridge across the North Channel was first floated many people have pointed out the problems that would be involved in such an infrastructure project.
The bridge would have to be built over Beaufort’s Dyke, a place where Second World War weapons were dumped. The water also had radioactive waste dumped in it during the 1950s.
Describing plans for a bridge or tunnel in the area, the Fraser of Allander blog pointed out: "This is not an April Fool."
It went on: "Somewhere, engineers will be debating the technical challenges of building a bridge over deep water, or a tunnel across a difficult underwater terrain. Geographers will be working out the average windspeeds that traffic will be able to withstand. And munition experts will be discussing how to avoid Beaufort’s Dyke.
READ MORE: Alister Jack backs Scotland-NI tunnel – and claims Boris Johnson does too
"But before this gets any further, hopefully the Government will ask their civil service economists for some advice."
It added: "£20bn could be far better spent."
SNP representatives have also made the same point regarding Johnson's plans, with MSP Tom Arthur saying: “If Boris Johnson has £20 bn to spend on infrastructure then we’re happy to send him some suggestions."
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