Nicola Sturgeon has urged the UK Government to ask for a multimillion-pound cash boost from Brussels to help flood-stricken communities across Scotland.
The First Minister has demanded London-based Ministers apply for the emergency aid from the EU, amid concerns they will not make the request for fear of antagonising Eurosceptics in the run-up to the referendum on community membership.
The UK has previously been granted more than £120m by the EU to help with clean-up operations following previous natural disasters.
Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown has now written to his Westminster counterpart, Elizabeth Truss, to ask her to apply for help from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). Meanwhile, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has announced a review into the Scottish Government's own flood-aid programme, the Bellwin Scheme.
