'Scottish cities are overrated': Boris Johnson's new adviser pens withering account of 'filthy' Edinburgh before leaving the capital for London

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Scotland's cities are 'overrated' and the capital is 'filthy' according to the outspoken CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association.

David Frost, who is originally from Derby, has penned a scathing farewell to Scotland, where he has lived for three years, as he moves to London to take the new role of special adviser to foreign secretary Boris Johnson.

The 51-year-old - a former UK ambassador to Denmark - reserved his strongest criticism for Edinburgh, saying his memories would be of overflowing bins and filthy streets that are clogged up with recycling bins. 

David Frost penned a scathing farewell to Scotland, having lived in Edinburgh for three years, and lamented Princess Street, pictured, as being 'clogged' with buses

Acknowledging that his views were 'perhaps controversial', Mr Frost wrote for The Times on Friday: 'Scotland's cities are overrated and its countryside underrated.'

Zoning in on its capital, he wrote: 'My memories of Edinburgh are not just images of the castle or the New Town but sadly also filthy streets, overflowing bins, and Georgian terraces ruined by endless brightly coloured recycling skips.'

Mr Frost went on to say how Edinburgh should be the 'jewel in the crown' but is in need of polishing, paying particular attention to Princes Street, which is 'clogged' with trams and buses. 

He wrote: 'I remain [...] baffled by how Edinburgh planners have pulled off the difficult trick of making the city unfriendly to cars and pedestrians at the same time.'

Mr Frost, pictured left, is leaving his role as CEO of the Scotch Whisky Association and moving to London to become a special adviser to foreign secretary Boris Johnson, right

He mentioned Edinburgh's 'Georgian terraces ruined by endless brightly coloured recycling skips' 

The whiskey boss then speculated that all this 'wouldn't be enough' outside the EU and speculated that areas including Perth and Dumfries were in urgent need of investment.

He did, however, have more positive words for Inverness, Elgin and Glasgow - the latter of which he said had a 'zest for life', with 'enough get-up-and-go to succeed'.

And he heaped praise onto Scotland's famous countryside, querying why it wasn't promoted more.

Mr Frost tweeted the article, writing: 'Finally, my farewell thoughts on Scotland are here... I am nice about everyone except @Edinburgh_CC!' - tagging the Edinburgh Council's Twitter account. 

In a statement, Edinburgh Council Leader, Councillor Andrew Burns responded: 'Edinburgh is a fantastic place to live, work and visit – our latest People Survey showed satisfaction with life in the capital at an all time high, backed up by numerous accolades demonstrating its excellent quality of living and status as a world-class tourist destination.  

'All successful international cities also face significant challenges and we are always engaging with the public to find out how we can improve our services.'

Mr Frost did, however, have more positive words for Glasgow, pictured, which he said had a 'zest for life', and 'enough get-up-and-go to succeed'

Frost also heaped praise onto Scotland's countryside, pictured, and described it as 'underrated'

Mr Frost became CEO of the Scottish Whisky Association back in January 2014 before announcing in October that he would be moving to London to take up his new foreign affairs role.

The company's purpose is to promote, protect and represent the interests of the whisky industry in Scotland and around the world.

SWA's members represent over 95 per cent of Scotch whisky production, which encompasses over 2,500 brands around the world.

Frost's comments follow the revelation that Scotland's public spending deficit is higher than Greece’s and tackling it would mean doubling the basic rate of income tax or VAT.

Research shows the Scottish deficit is now at 9.5 per cent of GDP – the highest rate of the European Union nations and double the rate of the UK as a whole.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants Scotland to rejoin the EU following the Brexit vote, but a report claims that its economy would struggle to meet the stringent entry criteria.