Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that "common sense will take precedence over campaign tactics" when the Scottish people vote for independence in September.

In response to the UK Chancellor's comments last week that an independent Scotland would no longer be part of a monetary union with the UK, she said: "What George Osborne says in the heat of the campaign will be very different to what he says if Scotland votes Yes, because it's in the interest of both Scotland and the rest of the UK to maintain a currency union.

"George Osborne wants people to vote No, but once Scotland votes Yes, common sense will take precedence over campaign tactics."

The Yes campaign was apparently dealt a further blow over the weekend when European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said it would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible" for an independent Scotland to join the European Union.

But speaking at a public question and answer session in Dunblane today, Ms Sturgeon said: "Scotland is part of the European Union, we've been part of it for 40 years. Europe and the EU is an organisation which has existed to expand, not contract.

"There's not a single member state that says it will try to block Scotland being a continuing member."

She was speaking at one of a series of town hall events taking place across Scotland in the run-up to the referendum on September 18.