Watchdogs urged to launch an investigation into the ownership of Inchgreen Drydock.

Shadow Scotland minister Paul Sweeney says Peel Ports has a monopoly on land and property on the Clyde coast and is favouring its Cammell Laird shipbuilding facility near Liverpool over the historic Inverclyde site.

The Labour MP for Glasgow North East now wants the UK Government's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), formerly the Competition Commission, to conduct a probe into the company.

Peel bosses have hit back saying Inchgreen is a 'key asset' and a crucial part of the Merseyside company's bid for multi-million pound Royal Navy contracts, which could create hundreds of jobs locally.

There have been concerns over the future of the drydock for years and last July its three iconic cranes were brought down, prompting ex-shipyard worker Robert Buirds to start a campaign calling for urgent investment in the site.

MP Mr Sweeney said: "There's a scandal happening in plain sight on the River Clyde.

"A monopolist has bought the Clyde Port Authority and is running it down in favour of promoting investment in the Port of Mersey.

"It's outrageous.

"We need a Competition Commission investigation."

A spokesperson for the CMA said they have not yet been contacted by Mr Sweeney.

Peel Port bosses stressed that Inchgreen is an important facility and is central to several contract bids.

Mark Whitworth, the company's chief executive, said: "As mainland UK's largest dry dock, with a rebuild value of £200m, Inchgreen is a key asset and is vital to the group's ongoing ship repair strategy.

"It is at the heart of Cammell Laird's current bid to win the multi-million pound contract to provide dry dock facilities for the Royal Navy's massive new aircraft carriers.

"It's a sign of how serious we are about winning this work that we have already removed Inchgreen's old quayside cranes because they would have prevented the carriers, with their enormous flight decks, from getting into the dock.

"The bid for the carrier work is an extremely strong one, but Cammell Laird is also actively pursuing a number of other major ship repair contracts which would be based at Inchgreen with substantial investment programmes and the opportunity to create hundreds of skilled jobs in Inverclyde."

Ferguson's owner Jim McColl previously expressed an interest in buying Inchgreen to bolster his Port Glasgow shipyard and bosses from Dales Marine Services, based at James Watt Dock, are also keen on utilising the site but say it is too expensive.

John Syvret, chief executive of Peel's Cammell Laird shipbuilders, said: "We've held talks with Jim McColl and Ferguson Marine to offer them a range of support including increased resources and infrastructure.

"Whilst they haven't yet taken up that offer, we have also visited each other's facilities to explore how we could work together for our mutual benefit and are certainly open to further discussions with Jim and his team."