Controversial columnist Katie Hopkins has compared First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the ebola virus.

In her latest column for The Sun, Hopkins played a game of snog, marry, avoid with the party leaders ahead of May's general election.

She said she would marry David Cameron, snog Ed Miliband and 'avoid Sturgeon in the way one seeks to avoid ebola'.

She also called Alex Salmond Scotland's own Churchill dog and referred to Sturgeon as social anthrax.

Writing in her column, she said: "As you may be aware, the Scots and I seldom see eye to eye. Given Nicola Sturgeon is three foot four in heels this is literally as well as figuratively accurate.

"Channelling the spirit of Alex Salmond - Scotland's very own Churchill Dog ('oh yesssss…') - Sturgeon is determined to make life in Britain as harmonious as a long weekend with your mother-in-law.

"I would avoid Sturgeon in the way one seeks to avoid Ebola. By taking extreme measures.

"If this involves full scale nuclear-biological-chemical warfare gear that is a price I am willing to pay for avoiding the social anthrax that heads up the SNP.

"I think politics is rather like the Voice. Surprisingly ugly people make it through to the end phases of the competition.

"Nicola is a good example of this. One can only hope she doesn't go ahead and win the bloody thing."

An SNP spokesperson said: "People in Scotland will see these pathetic comments as yet more of the attention-seeking nonsense they've come to expect from Katie Hopkins.  Thankfully the election won't be decided by offensive, out of touch commentators but by voters - more and more of whom are putting their faith in the SNP to empower Scotland and make our priorities heard at Westminster."

In December 2014, Hopkins caused controversy after describing nurse Pauline McCafferey as an 'ebola bomb' in a tweet.