AN EAST Renfrewshire MSP has been mocked online after blasting the design of the Queensferry Crossing - despite heading the committee that chose it.

The £1.3 billion infrastructure project was closed to traffic on Monday evening following concerns over ice hitting vehicles after blowing off support cables in stormy weather.

At least eight vehicles were struck by the frozen debris, forcing the bridge to close for more than 24 hours.

It later emerged sensors which were supposed to detect on the Crossing ice failed to work properly, leading to a volley of criticism being levelled against the Scottish Government after opponents accused transport chiefs of failing to take action over the same issue when it arose last March.

However, Eastwood MSP Jackson Carlaw mis-stepped when he branded the closure a “damning indictment” of Nicola Sturgeon’s government when it emerged he convened the group charged with deciding the design of the bridge before construction got underway in 2011.

Posting on Twitter yesterday, Mr Carlaw wrote: “The continued closure of the Queensferry Crossing is a damning indictment of this government. Whilst Nicola Sturgeon is swanning about in Brussels, Scots commuters are stuck without vital infrastructure.”

However, some Twitter users were quick to point out the full-time leadership hopeful was decisive in choosing the flagship Crossing’s cable-stayed design, even describing the sail-like construction “stunning”.

The five-strong ‘Holyrood Crossing Bill committee’ was formed in 2010 to scrutinise the ‘Forth Crossing Bill’ which allowed the bridge to built.

Responding to a Tweet from the First Minister announcing the opening of the Crossing in 2017, Mr Carlaw posted: “Delighted to have convened the Holyrood committee which chose the design and approved the route for the Queensferry Crossing. Stunning.”