Halfords has been criticised for charging £50 to deliver £5.99 towels to a home in Speyside.

Nicola Sturgeon described the fee as "shocking" after the issue was raised by Moray SNP MSP Richard Lochhead during First Minister's Questions on Thursday.

Ms Sturgeon pledged to lobby the UK Government to take action over "out of proportion" delivery charges.

Mr Lochhead said his constituent, who lives in the Highland region of Speyside, had been "treated with contempt".

He said: "To make matters worse, the company implied that the high charge is to put off customers in the north of Scotland from ordering - so much for the season of goodwill.

"Does the First Minister agree that, as more rural residents buy online in the run-up to Christmas, they should not be treated with contempt, fleeced by greedy companies or discriminated against for living in the north of Scotland?

"Will the First Minister and her colleagues in government put as much pressure as possible on the United Kingdom Government to sort out this matter once and for all?"

Ms Sturgeon responded that she would, adding: "The level of charge that Richard Lochhead has outlined is shocking. Based on what he has said, it seems vastly out of proportion.

"I am in full agreement that excessive charging for parcel deliveries is unacceptable, particularly when we know that more and more customers are taking advantage of the benefits of shopping online.

"We played an active role in developing a statement of principles for delivery charging, which reputable companies should adhere to."

She added: "However, as Richard Lochhead has alluded to, the UK Government has the power - and indeed the obligation - to prevent that kind of situation from arising, and we will continue to press it to do much better by our rural citizens than it does right now."

Halfords said the delivery charge was higher than usual because the product had been bought from a third-party seller through the Halfords Marketplace.

A spokeswoman said: "When ordering from Halfords.com normal postage to the Highlands and Islands region applies in over 95% of cases.

"The exception to this is if a customer purchases an online only exclusive product on Halfords Marketplace which is an online platform that Halfords hosts for smaller independent retailers who deliver direct.

"We are currently working with our marketplace suppliers to review this to help reach a more cost effective resolution for customers ordering from those marketplace suppliers."