The government is to seek independent advice on a "more appropriate" figure to be paid by Liverpool in its bid to secure consent for cruise liner operators to start and finish in the city.

A Department for Transport (DfT) consultation took place last year looking into Liverpool's plans, which included the repayment of £5.3m from a government grant over 15 years.

However, parliamentary under-secretary for state for transport Mike Penning said in a written statement that there were compelling arguments against the proposed level of payment.

Penning said: "I find that there are persuasive arguments that this level of repayment would be insufficient to reflect the adverse impact on competition with other ports."

Southampton City Council is opposing Liverpool's efforts to secure permission to start and end cruise liner routes, with the city accommodating two-thirds of the UK's cruise trade.

Image: Tom Pennington