A recreational bike and skate park in Fort William has closed to the public – less than 24 hours after its grand opening.
Fort William Bike Park opened for business for the first time on Wednesday as the World Mountain Bike Championships rolled into town.
The milestone occasion has been more than seven years in the making. It has been set up by Fort William-based charity Lochaber Wheeled Sports Society.
Crowds gathered to witness the grand unveiling of the recreational park – adjacent to Lochaber High Schoo.
It features a championship pump track, a BMX park and an adaptive pump track for individuals of all abilities.
However, less than 24 hours on, owners have been forced to close the park due to insurance issues.
Insurance problems at Fort William Bike Park
In a statement posted on the Fort William Bike Park Facebook page, officials say they are working hard to reopen the park as early as Friday.
They wrote: “Opened. Then closing.
“Ok, so we opened on Wednesday 2. Our plan was always to try to open for the World Championships coming to town. Unfortunately, we are having some difficulties with our insurance and we are not insured for tomorrow, so we are not able to open on Thursday morning.
“We will endeavour to sort out our insurance for Friday and the weekend so watch this space.”
The charity launched a campaign to fund the expensive venture back in 2016 after being blown away by facilities offered in Inverness.
Contractors began work on the £600,000 project in May, with hopes of having the facility up and running this week.
Officials confirmed works are not yet complete on the park, with additions being made in the coming weeks.
The park is set to close again next week as fencing contractors install a fence.
They added: “We will close the Bike Park again the following week to allow the fencing contractor in to get the perimeter fence up safely. Sorry for the inconvenience, we would love to get it all done in one go, but things are never that simple.”
