Landslides threaten to swallow up homes

THE Scottish Government is facing calls to take immediate action to stabilise a cliff towering over one of the Aberdeenshire's main tourist towns following another landslip at the weekend.

There have been concerns about instability on the Bervie Braes, overlooking Stonehaven, since 1994, when a number of houses below the steep face came close to being evacuated after a major landslip.

The cliffs carry the road linking the town with Dunnottar Castle, one of Scotland's most popular tourist attractions. The route was closed in December because of a landslip after days of torrential rain flooded homes and businesses in the centre of the town.

At the weekend another landslip sent piles of mud and debris tumbling into the garden of a home at the base of the slope.

The latest landslip has affected the garden of the grade B-listed Invercarron Cottage, Stonehaven's former tollhouse, which is owned by Richard Barnes

Mike Rumbles, the Liberal Democrat MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, warned yesterday that immediate action was needed to ensure the safety of residents.

He said he had written to First Minister Alex Salmond, calling on the Scottish Government to provide funding for the works.

Mr Rumbles said: "We are very fortunate that nobody was hurt in this landslip, but it is a timely reminder of the dangerous state that the Bervie Braes are in. The Scottish Government must heed this warning and provide funding to stabilise the braes.

"First Minister Alex Salmond stepped in and gave financial support when there was a landslip in Pennan in his own constituency, and there should be fair and equitable treatment for Stonehaven. I have written today to the First Minister, asking him to provide funding for the Bervie Braes, just as he did for Pennan."

Last year council officials revealed that the monitoring system in critical sections of the cliff face, aimed at providing an early warning of potential danger, may no longer be reliable. Some of the boreholes that are part of the monitoring system were recording dry conditions during spells of heavy rain. Aberdeenshire Council has already agreed on a preferred option for a scheme to stabilise the cliff and to pursue funding from the Scottish Government. The 5.7 million scheme would secure any slippage using deep-rooted soil nails.

Although no formal response has been received, a government official has told the council the request is being assessed "in the context of the wider public spending debate at a time of significant constraints".

A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: "There was some movement on the Bervie Braes which we were made aware of at the weekend and, in line with our procedures, we issued information to residents in the area to warn them of that. The situation is still being monitored."

She said there was no duty on the council to carry out the work, as Bervie Braes is on private land, but the council had the power to carry out works to protect the public. "The council would require funding from Scottish Government to undertake such a scheme at Bervie Braes," she said.