BOSSES from BBC Scotland used public money to claim for Uefa Cup final tickets to see Rangers and to buy a cheeseboard for comedian Griff Rhys Jones.

BOSSES from BBC Scotland used public money to claim for Uefa Cup final tickets to see Rangers and to buy a cheeseboard for comedian Griff Rhys Jones.

The organisation's 10 most senior managers charged £1000 meals, thank-you dinners, wine, sculptures and bouquets of flowers to their personal expense accounts.

Information obtained under the Freedom Of Information Act, by our sister paper The Herald, show a total bill of nearly £80,000 over the past five years.

Ken MacQuarrie, director of BBC Scotland, has the highest total, £22,550. Second is Ewan Angus, the head of sport, at £10,880, and third is Donald-Iain Brown, head of talent and operations, at £10,756.

Mr Angus claimed for £190 for the price of two tickets to the 2008 Uefa final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg.

Andrea Miller, head of factual, claimed for a £42 cheeseboard gift for Griff Rhys Jones, £44 of flowers for Culture Show presenter Lauren Laverne, and a hamper for arts broadcaster Jonathan Meades worth £50.

Other items included in the documents were a £1555 bill for a thank-you dinner for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in China.

The BBC said the tickets for the Rangers match in Manchester were bought and claimed for so "on-air talent" could attend the game.

It said the amount claimed by the 10 managers over the five years worked out at an average of £1500 each per annum.