The final decision on whether or not the council scraps the night watchman post at Macduff harbour will be made by the region’s director of infrastructure.
Aberdeenshire Council’s bid to ditch the post sparked outrage in the local fishing industry amidst concerns it would leave vessels unprotected in the evenings.
North-east skipper hands over petition of 1,000 names defending watchmen post
Local skippers, led by John Clark, also warned the move would put crews at risk while navigating in and out of the port in darkness.
Eventually the weight of public pressure sparked calls for a rethink and members of the region’s infrastructure committee will consider the proposals tomorrow.
Committee chairman Peter Argyle and vice-chairman John Cox have already been presented with a petition signed by 1,000 people by Mr Clark.
But the ultimate decision on whether or not to dissolve the night watchman role will be made by infrastructure director Stephen Archer, based on the comments of councillors.
If the watchmen are removed, CCTV and electronic depth gauges could be deployed to replace them.
