SCOTLAND should have its own ferry route to the European continent to bypass the “shambles” Brexit has created on the Kent border, an SNP MP has said.

Douglas Chapman, who represents Dunfermline and West Fife at Westminster, wants to see the ferry from Rosyth to Belgium reinstated.

The Rosyth - Zeebrugge ferry route was operated as a freight-only service, with 3 departures in each direction per week from 2010.

The last service ended in 2018, and despite calls this year to bring the ferry back, talks on finding a replacement operator have so far stalled.

Chapman told the Daily Record: "If the pandemic has taught us anything it should be that no idea should be off the table to reinvigorate our economy.

“Re-establishing this connection from the heart of Scotland into the heart of Europe is a hugely viable and potentially profitable opportunity."

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The MP said that the “shambles” at the Kent border, where Michael Gove has admitted there may be daily queues of 7000 lorries, “is not surprising given that the UK Government was making these preparations this time last year and a lack of preparedness for Brexit has now become the norm”.

Chapman said that Scotland could avoid these problems in the south-east of England by setting up its own connections to the continent.

“We have some entrepreneurs who have expressed an interest in making this route from Rosyth work for tourists and freight,” he added.

A spokesperson for Transport Scotland said that efforts to secure a commercially funded proposition had “proved challenging”.

They said: “The Scottish Government is supportive of new direct ferry services linking Scotland to Europe, but they need to be delivered on a commercial basis.

“We have received several approaches from businesses proposing new ferry routes and remain willing to assist with further support and advice, however to date securing a commercially funded proposition has proved challenging.”