A waste firm boss said he thought the Scottish Government were “applying pressure” on his business to sign up to its doomed bottle return scheme, a court has heard.

Michael Topham – the chief executive officer of Biffa Waste Services – told the Court of Session on Tuesday of his impressions of a letter sent to him by ex Green Party minister Lorna Slater.

He told judge Lord Sandison that the government was providing his firm with “unambiguous” and “unequivocal” assurances that its recycling initiative would proceed in 2023.

Mr Topham said that Slater’s letter had offered assurances to his firm “akin to a guarantee” that the scheme would proceed.

The court heard how this persuaded Biffa to commit millions of pounds of its own money to develop the infrastructure needed for the project.

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