A rural Moray community has urged drivers to stop damaging a set of gates between two villages to get onto an emergency road.
The route was created between Garmouth and Kingston in 2010 to be used in the event of flooding, but in recent times a barrier designed to limit its use has been mangled by passing vehicles.
Now Kingston residents – who paid for the gate to be installed – claim more drivers are using the unadopted road, increasing the risk for youngsters along Cadger’s Road.
Community leaders and concerned neighbours yesterday appealed for those responsible to stop before the gates’ condition worsens.
Secretary of the Garmouth and Kingston Amenities Association, David Mackay, said: “These gates have been severely damaged, seemingly by agricultural machinery, and repairs have to be carried out by locals at their own expense.
“That’s fine for now, but we don’t want to be paying out like a dripping tap every time they are harmed.
“It’s just pure and simple badness we’re dealing with.”
After flooding in the area in 2009, Moray Council agreed to convert the dirt track between the two villages into a road, but did not wish to adopt it.
The route now allows vehicles to enter and leave Kingston when other roads are under rising waters.
The gates, which are clearly marked as being for emergency use only, fell into the control of the amenities association at that time.
Local man Jim Birnie said: “Moray Council has done their bit, they turned the track into a relief road to get people away from flooding.
“But now we’re trying to keep it from being wrecked through overuse, and we want to keep the area safe.
“The cars sometimes go at a very fast speed, when they shouldn’t even really be using the road.”
Cadger’s Road resident Marina McLennan added: “We just want whoever it is to stop doing it.”
Neighbour Anna Anderson said that the growing number of cars passing the street made her worry for her visiting young grandchildren.
A police spokesman confirmed that inquiries were ongoing into the most recent account of damage to the gates, which was reported last week.