Scottish ministers are to review a troubled £60 million police IT project amid fears a bailout may be required to save the scheme.

The Government investigation into the i6 project will take place following tensions between Police Scotland and the private sector contractor Accenture.

Dubbed the “most significant transformational change” carried out by the single force, i6 will replace more than 130 IT and paper-based systems for 20,000 officers and staff.

Defects in the new system and disagreements between the two main stakeholders have seen delivery dates put back.

The partial “go-live” date was to have been this month but this has not been met.

The full rollout, expected to be in autumn 2016, is also thought to be unrealistic.

The Government will now step in by carrying out a review of i6, amid concerns the project could suck vital resources away from the cash-strapped force.

Labour MSP Graeme Pearson said: “From the start of this Parliament, I have questioned the viability of i6, only to be rejected by the SNP Government as scaremongering. Four years have been lost by the Government issuing soundbites and wasting millions of pounds of public money.”