The Taoiseach says he does not want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy by planning for a hard border with Northern Ireland.

The Government's contingency plan for Brexit contains little detail on how border checks could be avoided in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Ministers have again insisted they will not put up border infrastructure or plan for a hard border.

However, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar conceded it will be difficult in some scenarios to keep the border open.

Speaking today, he said: "In order to avoid a hard border, you must have alignment on customs and on regulation.

"It's all very well to say that nobody wants a hard border. And we don't: nobody wants it in Dublin, nobody wants it in Belfast, nobody wants it in London or Belfast.

"But if you don't have alignment on customs and regulation, then you get into real difficulties."

He added: "We're not preparing for a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic... We've made no preparations whatsoever for physical infrastructure or anything like that, and we certainly don't want to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"The contingency plans that we are marking are very real, but they're happening at our ports - particularly Dublin Port, Dublin Airport and Rosslare."

His comments come after a number of groups raised concerns about the lack of contingency planning for a hard border.

Sinn Féin's David Cullinane argued: "With no plans in place to avoid a hard border it is all the more likely of course that a hard border is what we will get.

"The north cannot be used as a bargaining chip - no matter what type of Brexit arrives."

Meanwhile, SIPTU has warned a no-deal Brexit could cause major disruption to north-south trade and put jobs at risk.

The union's manufacturing division organiser Teresa Hannick observed: "The requirement for animal and food checks will also put great strain on east-west agri-food trading."