Harbour bosses have been urged to move swiftly to find a replacement for a watchman who has stepped down.
Aberdeenshire Council will have to rely on temporary cover for the Macduff post until it can recruit a new member of staff after Alan West retired.
There is currently one permanent watchman based at the harbour. Earlier this year the authority, which manages the site, had to perform a U-turn after proposals to scrap the watchmen roles provoked outrage within the local fishing industry.
Troup councillor Ross Cassie was one of the most vocal opponents of the abandoned reforms and last night said he hoped the vacancy would be filled in the near future.
He said: “There needs to be a review of the job profile done, as this wasn’t carried out when the other roles were [reviewed] at the beginning of the year.
“But until that time I’m keen to have that post filled as soon as possible.”
Aberdeenshire Council’s controversial proposal would have resulted in the service being replaced by CCTV cameras in an effort to cut costs.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition opposing the move – which a risk assessment suggested could increase the risk of injury and deaths.
Councillor Mark Findlater was also instrumental in persuading council officers to retain the posts.
Last night he said it was essential a permanent replacement was found to ensure as safe an environment as possible.
He said: “I have been assured that there will be a replacement as soon as possible but right now they are relying on relief staff and the harbour master to fill in.
“We would like to see the number of permanent watchmen up to three because it’s not a 9-5 job, fishing boats can come in at any time, we need cover at night and at weekends.”
Gavin Penman, projects manager for the authority’s roads and landscape service, said: “Recruitment for the vacant night watchman post will begin in the very near future. In the interim we are arranging temporary cover as well as a standby rota which has been implemented by the harbour service to ensure users have someone to contact outwith normal working hours should they require it.”
