A home mission worker with the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) has submitted a petition with the local council in Inverness to stop a planned Pride event.

Proud Ness has yet to be formally approved by the council but is planned for October 6, with a march from the Scottish city's High Street to the Eden Court Theatre.

However, Donald Morrison has submitted a petition signed by over 600 people to Highland Council to stop the event from going ahead.

He said Pride events were too offensive and unsavoury to take place in city centres where children are often present, the Inverness Courier reports. 

'This becomes evident especially in city centres when they thrust lewdness in the faces of men, women and children alike by frolicking unashamedly on rainbow-coloured floats making obscene sexual gestures,' he said.

Mr Morrison, whose petition was signed by over 700 people, said that as public spaces, city centres should be kept child-friendly.

A spokeperson for the Highland LGBTI forum told the Inverness Courier that the event would be family-friendly and 'nothing untoward' would take place during the march.

'I have no problem with him or the people who have signed the petition holding their views and I totally respect that but there are a lot of other people who don't hold those views,' she said.

'You will always get people who don't like LGBT stuff.'

Others felt more strongly, with one person starting a petition on Change.org seeking to ban Mr Morrison from Inverness and 'all major population centers in the Highlands'. 

The petition, which has only been signed by 34 people to date, says: 'If we are to call ourselves a truly family friendly city and create a welcoming atmosphere for all not only in the city but in the highlands, then we can not tolerate such bigotry on our streets where children, and people just trying to go about their days would be exposed to it.'

A spokesperson for Highland Council confirmed to Pink News that it had received Mr Morrison's petition and that it was currently being considered under the Council's Petitions Procedure.

The spokesperson told the newspaper that the objections raised by Mr Morrison were 'not sufficient reason' for the council to refuse permission for the parade.