Cruise ships should be drafted in to help tackle a hotel shortage when a massive climate change summit is held in Scotland, security chiefs have warned.
Some 200 world leaders and 30,000 delegates will descend on Glasgow for next year’s United Nations conference.
Behind-the-scenes talks are under way over mounting the UK’s biggest police operation in decades – with an estimated £100million cost to Scotland’s single force.
Officers and security personnel are expected to be drafted in from across the UK as a ring of steel is thrown around the Scottish Events Campus for the COP26 event.
Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: “It is very clear that, given the scale of this event, that costs will be considerable.”
Sources have revealed cruise ships could be berthed on the Clyde to house some guests and workers during the November 2020 gathering.
Latest figures from accountancy firm PwC show there are around 12,000 hotel rooms in the city – with an additional 1655 scheduled to open by 2020.
A security source said: “It is not uncommon for cruise liners to be used for major events because accommodation is of a good standard, it has all the facilities, can be relatively close and easy to secure, especially off season.”
Officials last night said there had been no formal discussions or planning on hiring cruise ships.
But a Whitehall source said: “Nothing can be ruled out.”
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