A second independence referendum should take place at least six months after Holyrood has passed legislation for it, the Electoral Commission has said.

The election watchdog gave the recommendation as part of its response to the Scottish Government's consultation on a draft Referendum Bill.

It outlines the legislation which would be brought forward by the Scottish Government if it deems a second independence referendum is the "only" way to "protect" Scotland's relationship with the rest of Europe.

In its response to the consultation, the commission said: "We recommend that in planning for any future referendums the Scottish Government should manage the development and approval of legislation for future referendums (including any secondary legislation containing detailed rules for the administration of the referendum poll and regulatory controls) so that it is clear at least six months before it is required to be implemented or complied with by campaigners or electoral administrators."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a second referendum is "highly likely" following the UK as a whole voting to leave the European Union but Scotland voting to stay in the organisation.

The election watchdog has also said it should be asked to review the wording of the question on any referendum ballot paper even if it is the same as 2014.

The Scottish Government currently proposes using the same question with the same responses, Yes or No.

A Yes or No response for June's EU referendum was rejected by the Commission in September 2015. The UK Government originally proposed voters answering Yes or No to the question: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?

The question on the ballot paper was changed to the commission's recommendation of voters answering Leave or Remain to: Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?

John McCormick, the electoral commissioner for Scotland, said: "The draft legislation builds on the measures that worked well at the 2014 independence referendum and already reflects many of the recommendations for improvement we made following that vote.

"Based on our experience of the recent EU referendum we have highlighted some further improvements that could be made to strengthen the regulation and administration of any future poll in Scotland."

The Scottish Parliament does not have the power to hold a second independence referendum as it is reserved to Westminster.

For the first referendum to take a place the Scottish and UK Governments signed an agreement to temporally devolve the powers to Holyrood through a Section 30 order.

In documents associated with the draft Referendum Bill, the Scottish Government states if it does decide to "formally introduce this bill to parliament, it would be expected that a section 30 order would be sought and agreed, as in 2014".

The UK Government has pledged to trigger Article 50 to begin the process to formally leave the European Union before the end of March.

It is expected the UK will formally leave the EU in March 2019.

Scottish Government spokesperson said: "We welcome the Electoral Commission's response which acknowledges that the draft Bill builds on the legislation which was used very successfully for the 2014 independence referendum.

"We look forward to continuing to work closely with them to ensure that any referendum is run to the highest standards of integrity and efficiency."

A UK Government spokesperson said: "People in Scotland voted decisively in 2014 to remain part of the UK, and the arguments for a the Union are stronger now than ever.

"The Scottish Government needs to respect the outcome of the 2014 referendum, stop creating uncertainty with talk of another one, and get on with the day job."