HUNDREDS of people have signed a petition calling for Greenock’s historic Inchgreen drydock to be saved.

Support is growing for a campaign launched by former shipyard worker Robert Buirds, who is from Port Glasgow.

Last month, Robert called for the Scottish Government to step in and take over the site from owners Peel Ports in a bid to attract jobs and investment to the dry dock.

The former union official set up the ‘Campaign to Save Inchgreen Drydock’ online and more than 500 people have already pledged their support.

Mr Buirds says local and national politicians are also backing his calls for the historic shipbuilding site to be brought back into use.

He said: “We have over 500 signatures on our petition and want to thank everyone who has signed.

“The campaign is now gaining momentum with the festive break over and the political support we are now receiving from our MSP Stuart McMillan and MP Ronnie Cowan.

“We now have some councillors on board.”

Mr Buirds says he has written to all Inverclyde councillors, calling on them to put pressure on Peel Ports to disclose their plans for the future of the site, where the QE2 was famously fitted out in the 1960s.

The Port man also wants politicians to help shed more light on the proposed £10m renewables hub development at the site, which is one of three Inverclyde projects being funded by the Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal programme.

Ferguson’s owner Jim McColl previously expressed an interest in Inchgreen to complement his reborn Newark shipyard but Peel Ports, which also has interests in Birkenhead shipbuilders Cammell Laird, is understood to be reluctant to sell the site to a rival firm.

Mr Buirds said: “We have now opened the debate and raised the case for the Inverclyde community to own the Inchgreen drydock and now need volunteers to form a campaign committee to take our objective forward.

“I envisage that being part of the committee will not take up a lot of people’s time, but many hands make light work.”

To get involved in the campaign email campaigntosaveinchgreendrydock@gmail.com and to sign the petition visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/campaign-to-save-inchgreen-dry-dock-1