College leaders have been accused of passing the buck on responsibility for financial failings at struggling Edinburgh College.

Top staff blamed former managerial mistakes for financial problems at the institution when they appeared before Holyrood's Public Audit Committee.

MSPs described the situation as "a total failure", "a financial mess" and "unsatisfactory" during the evidence session.

Beyond Brexit: Scottish universities fear Brexit will spark 'brain drain' of young talent

Beyond Brexit: Scottish universities fear Brexit will spark 'brain drain' of young talent

An Audit Scotland report published in March warned the college faced "significant financial challenges" after failing to meet its targets for learning activity.

In autumn 2015, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) said it intended to claw back £800,000 after concluding the college had breached new rules on how much extra learning for enrolled students - known as additionality - it could claim funding for.

SNP MSP Alex Neil said: "You're all sitting passing the buck, who at the end of the day should have picked this up when it should have been picked up and done something about it?"

Beyond Brexit: Scottish universities fear Brexit will spark 'brain drain' of young talent

SFC interim chief executive John Kemp said the guidance, issued in July 2014, was clear and the college had been told about the changes in several meetings.

MSPs heard the guidance would have gone to the two vice-principals then responsible for the college's curriculum, but internal auditors were not aware of a problem until summer 2015.

Principal and chief executive Annette Bruton, who took up her post in May 2015, said the new guidance should have been cross-checked against the curriculum but that was not done thoroughly enough.

She said: "There was certainly evidence of the (SFC) outcome agreement manager having had discussions with several different people in the executive team about reducing that additionality over time and some of that had been done, but not sufficient to meet the guidelines that were issued in 2014."

Beyond Brexit: Scottish universities fear Brexit will spark 'brain drain' of young talent

Ms Bruton added: "There were management mistakes made by the college and I think we need to be clear about that, that actually the college should have picked up that guidance and they should have taken action."

MSPs heard the college had since changed its management structure and there had been staff changes at the top level.

Alan Williamson, former finance director and now chief operating officer at Edinburgh College, said he did not take any personal responsibility for the situation, but added: "Given the outcome, with hindsight, perhaps I should have been questioning more."

Ms Bruton said she did not recognise figures suggesting 18 management staff had left by voluntary severance at cost of £1.8 million during the merger of Jewel and Esk, Telford and Stevenson to form Edinburgh College.

But she added: "I think the way the voluntary severance was managed, looking back on it, and you have to be careful with hindsight, could have been done differently and that any voluntary severance we have now is under completely different arrangements and is far, far more cost effective to the public purse."

Beyond Brexit: Scottish universities fear Brexit will spark 'brain drain' of young talent

MSPs heard that under the "Edinburgh model", staff taking voluntary severance at the college were offered up to 21 months' pay, a decision taken by the then principals and boards of the three colleges.

Asked what had happened to them, Ms Bruton said: "One of them took the post of principal at the college and the others left."