Chunks of Edinburgh Castle rock fall on road

AN investigation has been launched after heavy rain dislodged a large boulder on the Castle rock face yesterday , narrowly missing motorists below.

Johnston Terrace was cordoned off after motorists alerted the police and reported chunks of debris falling from the rock face onto the road, narrowly missing their cars.

One passer-by described seeing rock shards "the size of bricks", with another saying the largest one was around the size of a "loaf of bread". Some had fallen onto the road and others onto the public path.

Police and council workers were called to the scene at 11am.

The area will remain closed until Historic Scotland has conducted an investigation into the safety of the Castle's rock face and the road could remain closed for two weeks.

City centre councillors today called for Historic Scotland to "seriously consider" safety measures that would prevent debris from falling again.

It is not the first time that rocks have fallen onto the road. Last year Historic Scotland looked into covering the rock face in wire mesh, but it was met with opposition.

Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said a solution needed to be reached before a passer-by was injured or property was badly damaged.

She said: "We'll have to discuss maintaining the wall because it is clearly not safe.

"I appreciate that the castle is a historical landmark, and while something like wire mesh is not attractive, the safety of pedestrians is paramount."

A spokeswoman for Historic Scotland said: "The rock is monitored on an ongoing basis. The torrential rain appears to have dislodged a small piece from the south face of the castle rock. Catchment fencing has been put in place and a specialist geo-technical engineer will inspect the rock surface. This will be followed by a detailed inspection of the area by the Historic Scotland rope squad as a precautionary measure."

A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "Concerned motorists said rocks had narrowly missed their cars."