Call for public to name bridge

THE public should have its say on the name of the new Forth bridge, a Labour MSP has suggested.

Fife MSP John Park wants a public consultation on the naming of the 2.3 billion crossing to replace the Forth Road Bridge.

His preference is the Ark Royal Bridge, named after the recently retired navy flagship.

But Green MSP Patrick Harvie suggested a few tongue-in-cheek alternatives such as Salmond's Folly or The White Elephant Bridge.

He said: "It's odd to see Labour MSPs helping Alex Salmond blow more than 2bn on an election photo-op at the taxpayer's expense when the existing bridge can be fixed for a fraction of that."