INVERCLYDE Council has formally called for an independent judge-led inquiry into the £300 million Ferguson ferries fiasco.

Alba councillor Jim McEleny put forward a request to the full council asking chief executive Louise Long to write to the first minister Nicola Sturgeon and seek a probe on why the vessels have not been completed and successive deadlines have been missed.

The delivery of two CalMac ships at the Port Glasgow shipyard - MV Glen Sannox and the as-yet unnamed Hull 802 - has been delayed by four years.

And following the latest revelation electrical coil cables on Glen Sannox are too short to reach equipment, it has emerged the completion of the two vessels will be held up indefinitely.

A survey found nearly 1,000 cables may need to be replaced in what outgoing shipyard 'turnaround director' Tim Hair admitted would be a 'time-consuming process'.

Elected members backed Councillor McEleny's motion by 10 votes to seven, with council leader Stephen McCabe and Labour's Robert Moran choosing to abstain.

It follows a recent call from Jim McColl, the former yard owner, for a judge-led probe into the scandal.

The agreed motion reads: 'This council acknowledges the skills and expertise of the Ferguson Marine workforce and are fully supportive of maintaining and growing shipbuilding, ship maintenance and repair on the Lower Clyde.

'It also notes the Scottish Parliament’s rural economy and connectivity committee in December 2020 stated there had been a “catastrophic failure” in the managing of the procurement of Hull 802 and sister ship, Glen Sannox.

'Therefore, this council requests that the chief executive writes to the first minister to seek an independent judge-led enquiry on the procurement and design processes/procedures by Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd to establish why these vessels have been unable to be completed and why successive deadlines and key milestones have been missed and costs massively overrun.'

Both ships were originally due to enter service in 2018.

MV Glen Sannox is being built to service the Isle of Arran ferry crossing between Ardrossan and Brodick.

Her sister vessel will serve the route connecting Uig on the Isle of Skye to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist.

Fury erupted last year after it emerged that Mr Hair — who has now left the yard — was paid £791,000 in a single year and cost £2million during his troubled tenure.

The Tele revealed last week how workers at the yard - which was nationalised in 2019 - have been fighting for a small pay rise over the last nine months.

Councillor McEleny said at the meeting: "I don’t need to say how embarrassing the situation has become not just for the yard and the workforce but for Scotland and shipbuilding in general.

"Someone needs to be held accountable and only a judge-led inquiry will establish the facts as to who is responsible for why these ships are so late."