As the Moray coast was battered by exceptionally high tides at the weekend fears grew in Lossiemouth as temporary measures put in place on a damaged sea wall were quickly swept away.
Contractors tasked with the job of repairing the seawall at Station Park in the town removed temporary concrete blocks put in place after the December 2012 storms that swept the north east cost.
However, with no protection from the elements as the wall awaited work on the £450,000 repairs Station Park was flooded on Friday. On Saturday, Council workers put a tonne of sandbags in place – but by Sunday these had been washed away.
Local councillor John Cowe said that while he appreciated the views of many local residents over the timing of the repairs that, he said, was due to financial restrictions over the funding of the repair project.
He said: “With the grant award that has been put forward by the Scottish Government we lose funding at the end of the financial year, so there was a bit of haste on to try to get on with that and get it done.”
Councillor Cowe toured the area at the weekend alongside the chairman of the Lossiemouth Community Council, Mike Mulholland, and promised to further asses the situation as the week progresses – but warned that more bad weather could be on the way this week.
He said: “I don’t see any further damage to the wall as yet – the worst thing that’s happened is that Station Park and the toilets have been flooded but thankfully we are not talking about people’s homes.”
The public toilets on Station Park have been closed while the alternative facilities on the Lossiemouth Esplanade have been reopened during daylight hours.