Road is closed to protect public after a landslide causes massive landslide

Aberdeenshire Council yesterday announced that specialist engineers had been brought in to ensure there is no danger to the public following a landslip near the Lido that fronts the beach area of Peterhead.

A council spokesman said: “The land started to slip near the town’s Lido over the festive period, but there has been further movement since then and engineers fear there may be more. Council engineers called in a specialist geotechnical engineer, whose advice led to the evacuation of a building occupied by offshore training organisation, Falck Nutec.

“This took place on Thursday in the interests of public safety, as the firm’s premises lie at the base of the affected slope. Many cracks and signs of movement are visible on the slope and engineers believe there is a high probability of further movement, which would be increased by wet or frosty weather.”

A short section of Mackenzie Crescent, a road at the top of the slope, has been closed as it is also considered vulnerable, but the access road to the marina remains in use.

“Though Mackenzie Crescent has not yet been affected, a slip has taken place alongside and it is now vulnerable to the effects of further landslips,” the spokesman added.

Stephen Archer, Aberdeenshire Council’s director of infrastructure services, said: “The section of slope in question is some 20 metres high and rises from the edge of the access road leading to Peterhead Marina and Mackenzie Crescent above. We understand this is privately owned but this is being checked.

“If private ownership of the slope is confirmed the council will have no legal responsibility for remediation of the slope, though we will want to ensure the integrity of the public road above.”