Campaigners fighting the closure of Peterhead Prison have presented a petition to the Scottish Parliament.

Seven women who are married to prison officers at the jail handed the petition to John McAllion, Labour convenor of the parliament's Public Petitions Committee.

The group has collected almost 18,000 signatures, among the highest number ever collected for a petition going before MSPs.

Speaking at Aberdeen's King's College Conference Centre where the parliament has been sitting this week, Mr McAllion said the petition would "put pressure" on the Scottish Executive.

John McAllion received the petition

The document contained 17,463 signatures on paper and 209 expressions of support from e-mails and is likely to go before the Justice 1 Committee.

That committee is considering the Prison Estates review, which recommends the closure of Peterhead and Low Moss prisons and the creation of up to three private prisons.

Dressed in a T-shirt sporting the slogan "Stop! The Closure of Peterhead Prison", Christine Wood, 44, from Peterhead, said the campaigners were concerned about their husbands' jobs.

They have voiced strong support for the programme for sex offenders at the jail.

Mrs Wood said: "We are supportive of the programme because every day we are concerned about public safety.

Private sector

"I as a parent wouldn't be doing my duty to my children if I didn't do anything about it."

Mrs Wood said the group were concerned about the time it might take to get the programme up and running elsewhere.

The group said the prison should be rebuilt in the public sector and criticised private sector involvement, saying it would cost the taxpayer a lot more in the long run.

Before handing in the petition, the group of seven women spoke to Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson.

He said: "I will read the petition with great interest, and I have said repeatedly that the process is an open consultation process and we will look at any good ideas that we get.

Almost 18,000 people signed up

"The other main problem we have with the estates review, and Peterhead is part of it, is this discrepancy between the public and private sector financially.

"It is a major difficulty for the government for us to turn round and say to the public that we are going to spend twice as much on prisons, which is what the report seems to indicate.

"I think that the most important thing is public safety and treatment of offenders and frankly, the private public matter is not nearly as important as the fact that prisoners must be managed safely."

The campaigners were accompanied by former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond MP.

They met a number of other MSPs including SNP leader John Swinney, Scottish Tory leader David McLetchie and Liberal Democrat backbencher Donald Gorrie.