SCOTTISH independence could put UK security at risk as enemies could exploit the "uncertainty or distraction" caused by the break-up, claims the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Scots abroad could also be put at greater risk of "child abduction, forced marriage or crime" through the loss of the UK's consular assistance, the FCO suggested.

It has urged the Scottish Government to give evidence for its "claims about the status of an independent Scotland, including membership of international bodies" such as the European Union, the United Nations, Nato, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

The FCO claimed to offer "clarity and fact" on the independence process in a report to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.