Moray road reopens following narrow escape for householder

Moray escaped the devastation that struck Aberdeenshire communities such as Braemar and Ballater
Moray escaped the devastation that struck Aberdeenshire communities such as Braemar and Ballater (pic: Steven Rennie)

ASSESSMENTS WILL BE undertaken to decide if more work is required following the landslip that closed the A920 near Dufftown on Thursday.

The road was blocked at Auchindoun, around two miles from the Speyside town, after torrential rain in the area caused a serious landslip that only narrowly missed a home.

A team from Moray Council were quickly on the spot to clear debris and protect property, working throughout Thursday evening and again yesterday morning. Police confirmed that the road was safe and reopened again on Friday afternoon at around 3pm.

“The priority on Thursday was to remove material from the gable of the house and relieve pressure on the building,” a Moray Council spokesman said, adding: “Once that was done it was decided to leave matters until first light on Friday.

“At that point the clearing up operation got under way using an earth-moving machine and two lorries, which took the landslip material away.  An assessment will now be made to establish whether any further work is necessary.”

Most of Moray breathed a huge sigh of relief as the latest flooding caused devastation in neighbouring Aberdeenshire – although communities in Moray were quick to offer any assistance they could to families hit by the disaster.

The community spirit throughout the region was marked by the tenant of a shooting estate at Ballater – when he heard of the difficulties his neighbours faced he called from a holiday in Belgium to offer his home to flood-hit families.

Parts of Keith remained on flood alert last night with residents being told that the risk would remain for a few days after the rivers Don and Ythan had burst their banks.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency have reported that they now expect water levels to recede with no further flooding on the scale seen over the last few days.