Storm damage to the Moray coast is threatening a picturesque walking route and beloved pet cemetery.
Surging waves scooped away chunks of ground under the popular path near Cullen last week as towns and villages on the Moray Firth were placed on flood alert.
Water that got in behind the defences scoured the surfaces to leave behind gaping holes beneath the well-trodden route.
Concrete and soil were claimed by the sea as the strong wins battered the coastline for several days.
Now Cullen Community Council has begun investigations to determine who owns the land to examine whether the damage can be repaired and new defences can be installed.
Member Dennis Paterson is adamant that action needs to be taken to stop the erosion creeping further across the walking route that links Cullen with other villages.
He said: “When the weather was at its worst the water was actually lapping at the stones at the pet cemetery.
“When the big tide came the rush of the water was the fastest it’s been. We’ve had higher tides but the water has never come in that quick before.
“It’s a very busy path. You see a lot of people using it. It’s been undermined in places now so we have to be careful it doesn’t subside.
“Something will need to be done. Generally, if you just patch these things up it just moves it around to the next bit of coast.”
Waves crashed over the walls at Cullen Harbour during the high tide throwing spray over the dockside.
Stephen Findlay, who has tended to the pet cemetery for 25 years, is keen to see the issue tackled before the erosion reaches the plots he lovingly looks after.
He said: “A fair bit of the path has gone. It will need to get sorted out but if someone comes out to look, it won’t take long.
“There are pipes there so if it gets worse there could be problems.”
