AN Inverclyde councillor has been charged after an alleged incident outside a tenement block in Greenock.

Chris McEleny, the general secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, has been charged in connection to a disturbance on Kelly Street in central Greenock.

The Daily Record reported that this followed allegations of a man seen trying to kick and punch his way into a tenement building, while also shouting and swearing in the street.

McEleny had previously denied he was the focus of a police probe, saying: “I’m not under investigation by the police over any incident so I wouldn’t have a comment on that.”

Police Scotland has confirmed a man has been charged over the disturbance.

A spokesperson said: “A 35-year-old man has been charged in connection with a disturbance that took place in Kelly Street, Greenock on Sunday, September 26, 2021.

“A full report will be forwarded to the procurator fiscal.”

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate for us to comment on a live police investigation.”

Alba has been approached for comment.

McEleny is a councillor for Inverclyde West, and previously led the SNP group on the local authority. He also previously ran for depute leader of the party.

However, he left the SNP to join Alba ahead of the Holyrood election in May, saying “independence is much bigger than any one political party”.

CORRECTION: A Police Scotland statement previously said that a man had been "arrested and charged" in connection with the incident. This has since been flagged as incorrect, and the force has edited their statement accordingly. The National apologises for the error in the statement in the original report.