RISING rail fares could see Inverclyde's population drop even further according to a concerned local councillor.

The SNP's Chris McEleny today slammed the 2.4 per cent hike in fares which came into effect on Thursday.

It means that an annual season ticket from Gourock to Glasgow now costs £1,904 - or £158 a month.

Meanwhile, passengers travelling between Gourock and Edinburgh face an annual cost of £4,976 or £414 a month.

Mr McEleny warns that railo fares are becoming unaffordable for commuters.

He said: "It is not sustainable for the future of Inverclyde.

"Giving people in the district much cheaper public transport would be one way to help curb that."

Councillor McEleny says that making public transport cheaper for people is also essential for protectin the environment.

He added: "The costs to travel by train simply don’t add up with there being a climate emergency.

"We should be encouraging more people to use public transport.

"Its current affordability doesn’t do that.

"If the levers of government can’t bring more jobs to rural areas and de-industrialised outlying urban areas like Inverclyde, they really need to make public transport a lot cheaper so that people can commute without being forced to move away."

Last year, statistics showed that Inverclyde had the largest rate of population decline out of Scotland's 32 local authorities.

The estimated population of Inverclyde as at 30 June 2018 stood at 78,150, down 610 or 0.77 per cent compared with the 2017 mid-year population estimate.

Inverclyde was one of 14 council areas in Scotland to suffer a decrease.

The council has set aside £500,000 over the next three years towards tackling the problem.