The SNP has closed down its dedicated online fundraising drive for a second independence referendum.

The party had launched a crowdfunding bid to raise a £1m war chest ahead of a planned new independence vote but abruptly removed the webpage following the general election.

An SNP spokesman told STV News the page, part of the ref.scot website launched by the party in March, had been removed "because our fundraising efforts were focused on the election".

The webpage was still active on the evening of June 8, however, and showed the party had raised almost £482,000 of its £1m target.

It had been taken off the site by the early hours of June 9 as results from the election were coming in despite there still being ten days left of the crowdfunding campaign.

The party lost 21 of the 56 seats it had won in the 2015 general election, leading Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson - whose party won 12 seats from the Nationalists - to describe a second independence referendum as "dead".

Nicola Sturgeon has said she will "reflect" on the results and conceded her plans for a fresh vote on independence were "undoubtedly" a factor in the party losing seats.

The SNP raised funds online for its general election campaign through a separate crowdfunder on the main party website.

A spokesman for the SNP said: "Money raised through ref.scot was not used for the election.

"The page was taken down because our fundraising efforts were focused on the election."

In both crowdfunding campaigns, supporters were asked for sums of £5, £10, £25, £50 or £100, or could choose to enter a different amount, with the referendum fundraiser also offering the option of a monthly recurring donation.

The SNP did not report a donation larger than £7500 to the Electoral Commission during the regulated general election campaign period.

It is unclear what is going to be done with the cash raised through the ref.scot site now the donation page has been removed - or if the page will be reactivated at a later date.

The SNP has been approached for further comment.

The website launched after the First Minister announced her intention to seek a second independence referendum following the triggering of Article 50 to begin Brexit negotiations.

It reportedly raised more than £100,000 for an independence campaign war chest in the first 24 hours of it being live.

Prime Minister Theresa May then rejected the SNP's calls for a new vote, saying "now is not the time".

Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden said: "The fact that the SNP have stopped fundraising through this website shows they are in retreat when it comes to a second independence referendum.

"Last week's result sent a clear message that voters do not want a return to the division of 2014, and it's about time the SNP stopped this needless campaign.

"With senior members of their party still refusing to rule out another vote, they need to come to terms with the result of the election and take it off the table altogether."