A Ukip poster unveiled by Nigel Farage on Thursday was "vile and racist", Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking to Dermot Murnaghan of Sky News, the First Minister said the image, launched by Farage in London for the upcoming EU referendum, exploited legitimate concerns over immigration.

The poster calls for Britain to "take back control" of its borders, with an image of a large line of non-white people crossing between Croatia and Slovenia on their way to a refugee camp last October.

It is specifically a party-political poster promoting a Leave vote and is not connected to the official Leave campaign.

Sturgeon said: "The poster that Nigel Farage unveiled last week was vile and racist.

"I know you're going to be speaking to him later on and I hope he does agree today to withdraw that poster, because that kind of sentiment has no place in a civilised debate."

Challenged on whether she was ignoring concerns over immigration, the First Minister said: "Let's have a balanced and proper debate over immigration - not one in which people's legitimate concerns are exploited in a way that is designed to encourage people to turn inwards."

But Ukip leader Nigel Farage defended the poster, arguing it "reflects the truth of what's going on".

Speaking on the same programme, he added that as part of a series of seven, it was only a "one-day poster".

Farage said: "That poster reflects the truth of what's going on, we've got a new poster coming out tomorrow morning, and we'll unveil a different poster for every day of the campaign."

Asked if he would withdraw it, he said: "That was a one-day poster - that's the point I'm making."

The Ukip leader added of the refugee crisis: "The vast majority people who have come into the Schengen zone would never qualify as refugees under any traditional measure."

He also called the death of Labour MP Jo Cox later on Thursday a "tragic event", and added: "Frankly, had that not happened, I don't think we'd have had the kind of row we've had over [the poster]."

Senior pro-Leave Conservatives Chris Grayling and Michael Gove have criticised the poster, with Grayling saying it was "just plain wrong" and Gove revealing he "shuddered" when he saw it.

Responding to Gove, the Farage said: "Michael Gove better look at his own posters.

"Pictures of Abu Hamza, warnings about terrorists and murderers coming into Britain at free will."