ONE of Scotland's smallest councils has accused the Scottish Government of leaving it "holed under water" after its request for millions of pounds for flood prevention measures was refused.

Labour-run Inverclyde Council had asked for £3million for a series of schemes. But the Government said the bid failed to meet the criteria for a major protection project and was instead "an amalgamation of clearance and repair works".

It also said the decision had also been taken along with Cosla, the umbrella body for all 32 councils.

Inverclyde is one of eight 'rebel' Labour-led councils to announce it is quitting Cosla.

Inverclyde was battered by storms last winter, with its key towns of Greenock and Gourock badly hit. The council's leader Stephen McCabe claims it was encouraged to bid and assured their proposals would be acceptable.

He said: "While the council has been left holed under the water by the Scottish Government's review panel it is the residents and economy of Inverclyde who will feel the real cost of this decision.

"This decision is particularly galling when it would appear there is still flooding money left unallocated."

He said the topography of Inverclyde meant it did not suffer flooding "by the bursting of one major river or a single catastrophic event" .

Inverclyde's chief executive John Mundell has also written to Government officials demanding clarity on the process involved.

A government spokesman said: "The panel's view was that the application was for an amalgamation of clearance and repair works, which had been pulled together in order to meet the minimum cost threshold of £2m, rather than a single large flood protection scheme requiring funding.

"Scottish Government and Cosla officials will discuss the process for the allocation of the balance of £19m funding that remains unallocated."