A Holyrood committee has backed plans to merge British Transport Police in Scotland with the national force - despite Tory and Labour MSPs refusing to back the proposal.

A majority of members of the Scottish Parliament's justice committee said they believe the integration of BTP into Police Scotland would provide a "more integrated and effective approach" to policing in Scotland.

Three Conservative MSPs, committee convener Margaret Mitchell and Oliver Mundell and Douglas Ross, as well as Labour's Mary Fee, all dissented from this statement.

After the 2016 Scotland Act extended new powers to Holyrood, ministers have put forward legislation to give power over railway policing to Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) watchdog.

The Railway Police (Scotland) Bill also requires the SPA and chief constable to have regular contact with train operators on rail policing matters.

BTP deputy chief constable Adrian Hancock has told MSPs the plans could create an unnecessary border for officers policing the railways, while unions have warned the move could lead to delays for travellers.

Meanwhile the RMT, the union representing transport workers, told the committee it had not ruled out taking industrial action if the plan goes ahead.

Mitchell said MSPs had "heard a variety of opinions about the best approach for railway policing in Scotland now that has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament", adding much of the evidence they had heard "raised concerns about integration".

She said the committee had made a "number of clear recommendations to ensure that the same level of service that the travelling public currently enjoys is maintained" if the merger goes ahead.

Mitchell added: "These include the recommendations that strong procedures should be in place to manage cross-border issues, such as the powers of officers to carry out their duties as they travel between Scotland and England.

"Also that officers must be clear on operational issues such as the use of Tasers and the powers of arrest. All members agree that protecting the travelling public is of the utmost importance."

Currently, only authorised firearms officers within Police Scotland can carry Tasers whereas BTP has Taser-trained officers who are not firearms officers.

Assistant chief constable Bernard Higgins of Police Scotland told the committee that "should integration occur, one of the first things that I will have to do is to assess the threat in the wider rail network and see whether it is still appropriate, in terms of the wider Police Scotland threat assessment, to continue that practice".

Labour's justice spokeswoman Claire Baker accused the Scottish Government of "railroading" through the proposal.

She said: "At a time when the SPA is facing a crisis of leadership and significant budget pressures, integrating BTP with Police Scotland could potentially introduce a level of risk to transport policing which fails to put passengers first.

"We already have a transport system that works and serves us well in Scotland but this bill risks that."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We share the committee's view that the safety of the travelling public is of the utmost importance, and welcome the constructive and helpful recommendations the committee has made on delivering a seamless transfer of responsibility.

"We will give these careful consideration and provide a full response to the committee's report in due course."