THE front man of Dundee-formed band Snow Patrol has said a hard border in Ireland as a result of Brexit would be "the worst thing possible" for the country.

Gary Lightbody, from Bangor, Co Down, who co-founded the band at the University of Dundee, said the possibility of a return to border customs or immigration checks was "extremely worrying".

The EU has put further pressure on the Brexit talks by confirming it will enforce a hard border on the island of Ireland in the event of a no-deal outcome, despite the risk this would pose to peace.

Chief spokesman for Jean-Claude Juncker the European commission president has said it was “pretty obvious” border infrastructure would be necessary if the UK were to leave without an agreement.

"It is something that is extremely worrying. We are still recovering from the events of the 30-something years of The Troubles, and all our history of our tumultuous island in the years before that," said Lightbody, the former English Literature student, whose band shot to fame with songs like Chasing Cars and Run.

"It's not a time to put that hard border back up again, it's really not. It would be the worst thing possible, I think, for our country, for our people, for the safety of our people, for the peace and the well-being of our people. It's really bad.

"Whatever scenario we end up in I hope there is no border that goes back up again."

Snow Patrol released Wildness, their first new album in seven years, last May and they have been announced as headliners of the Latitude festival Henham Park, Suffolk this July.

But Lightbody added that he was concerned Brexit would cause problems for the band's tour.

"Of course it will affect every touring band with British passports, of course it will. I have this hope that something happens that gets resolved and we don't go into (Brexit)," he said.

"At this point it is such chaos and it is so disorganised that any kind of scenario seems like it is going to affect people negatively, and if it doesn't happen then there are negative connotations for that too.

"Personally, I voted to remain - I'm going to wear that on my sleeve. I didn't want Brexit to happen but it looks like it might. This is the new landscape we are in.

"Touring bands are going to be affected, for sure, but so many other people are going to be affected too, in so many different walks of life. It's a tragedy, really."