A fresh landslip has stalled a temporary road opening for a community which has been isolated for almost three months.
Gardenstown residents were expected to get vehicular access to their homes in the Seatown area of the village until more mud came tumbling down the hill on Tuesday causing a further risk along with more cracks in the hillside.
Villagers have been unable to drive to and from their houses for 10 weeks since the slope was damaged forcing the local authority to seal off Harbour Road on December 29.
The road has only been opened for vehicles for a few hours at a time under supervision for safety reasons.
But last night Aberdeenshire Council officers announced that the planned opening would no longer go ahead this weekend, due to the “fresh movement” and “new cracks” that have appeared.
Banff and Buchan roads manager, Derek Murray, said: “Clearly this is a very complex situation, but at the heart of all our decisions is safety.
“We are aware of the local desire to see the road reopen as soon as possible and we too want things to progress as quickly as possible.”
Seatown residents have not had their household waste bins emptied for two weeks, however, council officers have insisted there is “no risk of vermin” because all the rubbish is contained.
One collection was missed due to the recent wintry weather, but access to the communal waste containers has not been possible either due to the fresh landslip.
Residents are now being advised to use alternative refuse containers on the village’s Main Street where possible until a “definitive date” has been organised for reopening the road.
A public drop-in session is being held in the village next week, where the latest geotechnical information will be available with a fresh site investigation taking place on Thursday.
Representatives from the Banff and Buchan area manager’s team, the roads service and the council’s consulting engineers will be there to give updates.
The drop-in session will take place at the Dreel Hall on Friday between 9am and 8pm.