A petition calling for Scotland to have its own entry in the Eurovision Song Contest has been lodged at Holyrood, it has emerged.

Lynn Allan, one of the founders of the group Scotland in Eurovision, said she had officially lodged an e-petition at the Scottish Parliament.

It calls on the Scottish Government to "make appropriate representations to take forward calls for Scotland to have its own entry in the Eurovision Song Contest".

Speaking after submitting the petition, Ms Allan said: "As this year's competition came and went, I was sad to see no Scottish act in the line-up.

"We have some spectacular talent in Scotland - Susan Boyle is testament to that - and with viewing figures as high as 500million being quoted as the global audience for Eurovision, it's key that Scotland gets its opportunity to showcase the vast array of musical ability that we have.

"Hopefully the petition will demonstrate just how strong the demand for a Scottish entry is."

In last night's contest the UK entry, Jade Ewen, came in fifth place with her performance of It's My Time, with Norway taking the top spot.

But SNP MEP Alyn Smith argued Scotland should have its own entrant in next year's contest.

He said: "Jade did an excellent job as the UK entry, but I'm confident Scotland can sing with the best and it would be good to have a Scottish entry on the Norwegian stage next year."