Reporter says sorry for saying Scots voted against separatism in 1997

THE BBC has been forced to issue another apology for its coverage of Scottish politics after getting its facts wrong about the devolution referendum 10 years ago.

Senior BBC journalist Andrew Cassell said sorry for claiming Scots rejected independence in the 1997 poll - despite the fact that this constitutional option was not on the ballot paper.

It is the third time the corporation has apologised for its handling of SNP-related issues since the Holyrood election.

The latest gaffe occurred during a BBC 10 o'clock news bulletin last month. Cassell claimed Scots had rejected independence in a referendum 10 years ago. But the 1997 plebiscite offered only two options; the status quo and devolution.

A complaint was followed by Cassell apologising. He said: "I accept the report was not worded well and I apologise. I can assure you there was no deliberate attempt to misrepresent the situation, merely an attempt to explain it to a wider audience outside Scotland, which I concede I didn't do as well as I'd hoped." He added: "On the detailed point of the wording I accept it could have been scripted better, but I think the wider tone of the report was spot-on."

But Cassell's apology angered the SNP, as he claimed: "Support for independence in the polls has never exceeded the 30% mark - a fact readily acknowledged by Mr Salmond and many in his party."

An SNP spokesman said: "To add insult to injury, the apology itself compounds the problem by revealing a complete lack of knowledge about the level of support for Scottish independence."

The row comes after the BBC and Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark apologised to Alex Salmond in June after she cut him off during an interview.

Weeks later, it was revealed the BBC had also apologised for exaggerating business opposition to independence.

Relations were further strained after Salmond announced the creation of a "broadcasting commission" to look at the industry's future, described by one BBC insider as a "provocative gesture".

An SNP spokesman said: "This is the third time network BBC has had to issue an apology for its coverage of Scottish politics. It again raises serious questions about the accuracy of output produced in London."