The Prime Minister should tell Nicola Sturgeon to 'take a hike' if she asks for a second referendum, Ruth Davidson has said.

The Scottish Conservative leader told STV News' political editor Bernard Ponsonby that David Cameron should reject any request by Nicola Sturgeon for a second referendum. She was asked what she thought would constitute a legitimate mandate for the SNP to hold one.

Davidson said: "First of all we were told that it was going to be once in a generation so I think there has to be a pretty big time lag before there is that and also someone has to put down in key words absolutely, black and white, in a manifesto and be voted on in that manifesto if they were returned to power they would have that.

"Now, what hasn't happened in this campaign is exactly that. What is in the SNP manifesto if you read it is almost like trying to reserve a parking space. What she said is we reserve the right as soon as we think there is a week we can win it that we can hold it any time we think, and that is not the same."

Davidson explained that as SNP's manifesto would therefore not constitute a mandate and that the Prime Minister should reject any approach by the Sturgeon to hold a second independence referendum.

She continued: "That will be my advice to David Cameron - go and take a hike - because she will not have a mandate on the manifesto she has published even if she gets a majority. That is not a mandate to do that."

Davidson was also questioned on her manifesto promise to introduce 24 and 48 hour prison sentences for those who breach community orders.

She explained: "What it is about is when you've got people that are at most risk of breaching community sentences so people that have maybe sometimes complex or repetitive issues of offending but don't necessarily need to be in jail.

"That is when you put in a lot of extra help to make sure they don't breach those orders but you also put in the stick of saying 'and if you go on to then we will put you in jail for 24 or 48 hours' as that short, sharp shock."

She admitted that her party "did not" approach the Scottish Prison Service for their opinion on the policy or its ability to work in Scotland.

There are currently 7,662 prisoners in Scotland while around 5,000 community payback orders were breached in 2014-15.

The lack of the Prime Minister campaigning in Scotland for Ruth Davidson was also a topic of discussion.

Davidson said: "This is a conversation about people in Scotland, about who they are going to vote for in the Scottish Parliament. Now I am the leader of the party in Scotland, David Cameron is not the leader here.

"I am the person hoping to be the strong opposition to Nicola Sturgeon that I think our country so desperately needs and nine years and six Labour party leaders now they haven't laid a glove on the SNP. They have gotten away with lots and it falls to me to lead this charge.

"This is my team, this is my manifesto, this is my election campaign and I am happy to take [it] forward".

The Scottish Conservative leader said that "we would have to see" if he comes to campaign but the lack of a visit is not down to the fact that he could be considered toxic to her campaign.

Election Face to Face features party leaders in the Holyrood elections being interviewed by STV News Political Editor Bernard Ponsonby:

It is screened on STV Glasgow and STV Edinburgh at 8.30pm and then on Scotland Tonight on STV at 10.30pm.