INVERCLYDE'S SNP candidates have been accused of failing to back up apparent unanimous support for Inchgreen Dry Dock with an actual election commitment.

The group of 12 told campaigners they wanted the mothballed dock transformed into a 'marine engineering and shipbuilding hub' — but didn't mention Inchgreen at all in their manifesto.

In a joint statement, issued to the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock, the SNP hopefuls echoed a desire by the pressure group to see the UK's largest mainland dry dock returned to public ownership.

But with no mention of the issue in a glossy 15-page manifesto, the candidates — Agnes McAuley, James Daisley, Irene McLeod, Jen Scott-McClafferty, Kirsty Law, Pam Armstrong, Sandra Reynolds, Elizabeth Robertson, John Crowther, Innes Nelson, Chris Curley and Jim MacLeod — have now had their integrity called into question.

Inchgreen campaign secretary Robert Buirds said: "How can you trust a party which says Inchgreen and the dry dock are very important for jobs, then nothing in its manifesto?"

In a non-manifesto statement issued on behalf of all its candidates, the SNP said: "We share the ambition of the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock to see the dock returning to a fully operational industrial facility and support the industrial regeneration of Inchgreen and the dry dock."

The statement added: "In the longer term, we believe that there is a great opportunity to develop Inchgreen, Garvel Island and the Great Harbour into a marine engineering hub, including shipbuilding and repair to complement and build on the adjacent Ferguson Shipbuilders, with the dry dock being integral to this."

The SNP also told the Inchgreen campaign: "Our aspiration is that Clydeport Operations Ltd [owned by Peel Ports] would again become a separate publicly owned company or trust, including riverside assets such as Inchgreen Dry Dock, enabling it to be fully committed to the rebirth of marine engineering on the Clyde."

However none of this features in the party's manifesto.

Peel Ports last November controversially leased the dry dock to fledgling ship scrappage outfit Atlas Decommissioning, a company which has failed to win a single order in nearly six months.

After boasting of creating a 'centre of excellence' which would create 100 skilled jobs, Atlas has been forced to lay off its start-up workforce of 18 with no sign of any work coming to the dock.

Inchgreen campaigner Mr Buirds said: "The SNP has failed to mention Inchgreen Dry Dock, and the Atlas scrapyard development they supported, in their manifesto.

"Supporters will remember the SNP statement on Inchgreen that should have been included in their manifesto.

"We now have the two major parties in Inverclyde, the SNP and Labour, backsliding on their commitment to return Inchgreen Dry Dock to a fully operational marine facility, handcuffed to Peel Ports and still supporting the scrapyard."

Labour's Stephen McCabe said: "There can be no backsliding on a commitment we never made.

"We have been clear all along that Inchgreen Dry Dock is in the ownership of Peel Ports and it is for them to utilise it to its fullest potential.

"Labour councillors will continue to challenge the company to that end.

"We will also ask both the Scottish and UK Governments through the new Inverclyde Task Force to look at ways they can support this objective."

SNP candidate and spokesman Chris Curley said: "The manifesto commits the SNP to work with government and businesses to create jobs and improve employment opportunities.

"Where appropriate, we will pursue inward investment opportunities with vigour.

"There are many investment opportunities within Inverclyde, including Inchgreen."

Mr Curley added: "We have provided a statement to the campaign which builds on our commitment within our manifesto to create jobs and improve employment opportunities and outlines the SNP position specifically with respect to regenerating the wider Inchgreen area including Inchgreen Dry Dock, Garvel Island and the Great Harbour.

"As a group of candidates, we support the aim of the Save Inchgreen campaign to bring the dry dock and surrounding industrial land into use but we have decided not to sign the campaign's pledge.

"We consider that we should remain open to all partners and organisations capable of achieving this aim, especially in the short term."