Around 1000 people have signed petitions protesting the closure of the Harbour road in Lossiemouth in less than 24 hours.
Residents and regular visitors to the town have been angered by a move at the weekend which saw bollards being put in place to halt traffic using the lane that links the east and west sections of the harbour.
The action was taken by the Elgin and Lossiemouth Harbour Board, who say that the private road was a danger to the public. However, residents have pointed to decades of accident-free traffic on what is now an established public right of way.
An online petition launched by insideMoray on Tuesday had been signed by almost 800 people by early this morning, while several hundred more have signed petitions being held at local shops and the Harbour Service Station in the town.
After signing the petition George Young summed up the feelings of many by saying: “My wife’s Grandmother lives round the corner from there and my mother in law is not at all comfortable driving up the hill in Lossie.
“The harbour route is by far the best way for her – there are other ways that can be used to control speed of a minority of drivers without inconveniencing other innocent road users.
“These bollards have been installed without any consultation at all with the local road users and should be removed.”
Retired fisherman Dennis Slater said that the pity was the Harbour authority appeared to have little regard for the history of Lossiemouth.
He said: “Being a Lossie loon and a fisherman most of my working life it saddens me again to see how the Harbour Board takes decisions without remembering the history and great heritage our harbour brings to the Lossie community
“Going round Lossie harbour is one of my weekly visits which always brings happy memories not only to myself but I’m sure to most of our fishing community who remember it as it was.”
Talks are set to take place between the Harbour Board and members of the Lossiemouth Community Council on Friday, when it is hoped a change of mind can be negotiated.
Meantime anyone wishing to sign the online petition is urged invited to do so before Friday’s talks.