MORE than 130 businesses have signed a letter saying the business case for Scottish independence "has not been made".

The signatories come from a variety of businesses including banking, mining, engineering, food, whisky, and technology.

But lobby group Business for Scotland said economic facts and figures support Scottish independence.

The letter has been published in The Scotsman newspaper.

Scotland will go to the polls in the referendum on September 18, with voters being asked the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"

The letter is signed by business leaders including Douglas Flint, the chairman of HSBC; Andrew Mackenzie, the chief executive of the mining giant, BHP Billiton; and Sir John Grant, executive vice-president of policy at the energy company, BG Group.

Others include Audrey Baxter, executive chairman of Baxters Food Group; Simon Thomson, the chief executive of Cairn Energy; and Ian Curle, the chief executive of Edrington, which owns the whisky brands The Macallan and The Famous Grouse.