LINGERIE entrepreneur Michelle Mone, who is quitting Scotland to live in England, says she has been driven from her home by the vitriol of so-called cybernats.

The boss of Ultimo, who set up her business in Glasgow nearly 20 years ago, said she is a proud Scot but her opinions on her homeland changed in the lead up to last year's referendum when she backed a No vote. She said the mood has got worse since then.

"I now believe the SNP's Scotland is becoming a place consumed by hatred and ill will, a place where free speech is gradually being crushed and enterprise is despised," said the 43-year-old who has put her £1 million three-bedroom townhouse in Park Circus, Glasgow, on the market.

She points the finger of blame for the change at SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon.

"Nicola Sturgeon is a smart woman and she has been very successful at bringing her party to this point," said Ms Mone.

"She also needs to take control of her MPs and supporters, and bring them into line. She's allowing them to behave like this. It's not professional."

Since the referendum Ms Mone said the abuse she has received is typical of the new mood in Scotland where she believes success is attacked rather than applauded.

"On Twitter I wrote that I hoped my country 'doesn't get any more bitter and angry', adding: 'We need to work together with our neighbours to get what we need for Scotland'," she said.

"The cybernats hit back. I blocked all the ones who used the C word. All from the same party, surprise, surprise.

"I called them 'SNP muppets'. The definition in the dictionary of a muppet is 'a person who is ignorant and generally has no idea about anything'.

"My muppets reference also applies to the 56 new Nationalist MPs who have vowed to shake up the House of Commons in the 'interests of Scotland'. All they have done so far is whip up more animosity between two great nations who have stood together as strong neighbours for hundreds of years."

Ms Mone said she found herself caught up in a growing and extremely vitriolic social media hate campaign after coming out in favour of maintaining the Union.

"For the first time I didn't feel safe in Scotland. I have absolutely no problem with people expressing an opinion, but if you are going to be disrespectful I don't want to hear it."

With a new role mentoring up and coming entrepreneurs, as well as being a global ambassador for British Airways and Bentley, Ms Mone said she has a unique insight into how divisions in Scotland are viewed abroad.

"Last week at an event in South Korea I appeared alongside the former US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, as well as the prime ministers of India and Japan," she said. "They all wanted to talk to me about 'anger' in the UK. Is that how we want our nations to be seen by others?"

An SNP spokesman said: "The SNP has made it repeatedly clear that there is absolutely no place in Scottish public life for online abuse directed at anyone."