Only a quarter of people in Britain think the UK should scrap its nuclear weapons compared with nearly half in Scotland, a poll has suggested.

The divide in opinion on nuclear weapons on either side of the border is evidenced in a YouGov poll for the Times, where 56% of UK respondents want to replace Trident compared with 42% in Scotland.

Just 25% of UK respondents want it scrapped compared with 48% in Scotland, the poll of 1,656 adults on January 25 and 26 found.

When Scotland's 144 respondents are removed, support for Trident south of the border rises to around three-fifths while support for scrapping it falls further.

Scottish opinion on nuclear weapons could have a material impact on UK politics following the general election, with a resurgent SNP offering to prop up a UK Labour government in exchange for concessions on issues like Trident.

Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has steadfastly opposed unilateral UK disarmament but a U-turn could be a vote winner, with 33% of Scots saying they would be more favourable towards Labour if it agreed to scrap Trident compared with 18% who said they would be less favourable.

Opinion across the UK is more split, with 20% saying they would be less favourable towards Labour if the party agreed to scrap Trident compared with 18% who said they would be more favourable.

Moving Trident out of Scotland and basing it in England could be a vote winner for Ed Miliband, with 18% saying it would make them more favourable to Labour compared with 12% who said they would be less favourable.

However, about a third of respondents said they they are unfavourable towards Labour anyway and a shift on Trident would make no difference, compared with just a tenth who said they are currently favourable towards Labour.

The future of Trident was a key battleground in the independence referendum, with the UK Government warning of a massive relocation bill if an independent SNP Government ordered Trident out of Scotland.

If Scotland becomes independent in the future, 41% of UK respondents said the UK Government should build a new base south of the border compared with 23% who said they should scrap it and 18% who said they should negotiate a deal to keep it in Scotland.