Rest And Be Thankful: Watch as car-sized boulders are cleared from the road by helicopter after landslide

One of the boulders that was moved weighed 100 tonnes.

A helicopter has helped move car-sized boulders from above the A83 Rest And Be Thankful as efforts to clear a large landslip continue.

Debris blocked the road amid heavy rainfall across Argyll and Bute on Tuesday, with 6,000 tonnes of material sliding down a hillside.

It also covered the Old Military Road (OMR), which has previously been used as a diversion when the A83 has been blocked.

(Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Large boulders – including one weighing 100 tonnes – were dislodged by a 42-strong team and a helicopter on Thursday.

The aircraft dropped water onto the material around the rock as well as using high-pressured hydraulics to force it into a safer position further down the channel.

The A83 and OMR remain closed and a diversion route is in place via the A83, A82, A85 and A819.

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north-west representative said: “We’re pleased that the boulders that were identified by our geotechnical specialists have now been made safe after a huge effort to clear them in a controlled manner from the steep slope above the A83.

“Due to their size and position it was unsafe for us to carry out any clear-up operations or safety assessments until they were in a suitable, safe position.

“We’re now continuing to press on with operations on the OMR with what remaining daylight there is left.

“Until the clear-up work is complete and a full safety assessment for any damage to the road is complete we cannot open the OMR or A83, therefore they have to remain closed overnight.”

Around 100 tonnes of further material reached the A83 overnight via a steep channel created in Tuesday evening’s landslip.

A large boulder, approximately 100 tonnes in size, was exposed in one of the steep channels above the road.

Assessments of damage are continuing on Thursday with the team of 42 working on the road and managing traffic diversions.

Western Ferries has also added additional sailings between Gourock and Dunoon to aid travel.

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