A number of Republicans have said the vote on US President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, should be paused while allegations of sexual assault are properly heard, reports BBC.

It comes after Christine Blasey Ford accused Mr Kavanaugh of attacking her.

The allegation, which Mr Kavanaugh has denied, emerged days before the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on the post.

Prof Ford is willing to testify before the Senate panel ahead of its vote, her lawyer has now said.

And White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said Prof Ford should "not be insulted or ignored" and should testify under oath, although that would be up to the panel to decide.

Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake, who sits in the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Prof Ford's testimony should be heard.

"We need to hear from her," he told news website Politico. "And I don't think I'm alone in this."

He is not the only Republican to voice concerns over Mr Kavanaugh's appointment being pushed through at speed, in light of the allegations.

Tennessee's Bob Corker also said the vote should be delayed until Prof Ford is heard, while Lisa Murkowski told CNN a delay was something "they might have to consider".

Leading Democrats have called for a delay while the issue is investigated.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has said that to push through a vote on Thursday would be an "insult" to American women.

When asked on CNN whether Prof Ford would be willing to testify publicly before the panel, Prof Ford's lawyer, Debra Katz, said: "The answer is yes."

Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, detailed her allegations in the Washington Post at the weekend.

She told the newspaper she believed the incident happened in 1982, when she was 15 and Mr Kavanaugh was 17.

She said Mr Kavanaugh and a friend had allegedly "corralled" her into a bedroom at a gathering. Mr Kavanaugh and his friend were both drunk, she says.