Landslips caused by devastating rain in Moray have been cleared within a week – despite the council warning it could take up to a month.
Torrential downpours caused multiple roads to be closed south of Fochabers last week after mud and rubble plunged down slopes to engulf roads.
The extreme weather left about 16 homes at risk of being cut off entirely as safety fears increased about a bridge over the Mulben Burn.
Yesterday, Moray Council confirmed the Cairnty Road had been reopened after work crews cleared up the mess near the tight hairpin bend.
It had initially been feared that the rural route near Boat O’Brig would have to remain closed until the end of the month due to the complex work required.
However, the nearby Delfur Bridge over the Mulben Burn remains closed due to safety concerns after storm water scooped stonework off the foot of the bridge.
The crossing is expected to remain closed until Sunday, September 15 to allow emergency work to be done on the structure.
A separate landslip on the Ordiequish Road, south of the gorge, was reopened just days after the heavy rain.
Last night, Speyside Glenlivet councillor Derek Ross praised the work done by council staff to get the landslides cleared much more quickly than anticipated.
He said: “Weather causes an incredibly difficult situation because it can cause a great amount of damage and it’s impossible to predict where is going to be the worst hit.
“The council officers and workers who have dealt with this have done a fantastic job in a challenging situation.
“The council gets a lot of brickbats, but when it is in these kinds of difficult circumstances, they come up trumps.”
The scale of the damage across the region has forced Moray Council to activate emergency funding from the Scottish Government under the Bellwin scheme.
Deploying the cash pot means that the repair bill will be funded by Holyrood once it tops £428,000 amid reports of other smaller landslips and bridge faults in the region.
