HEAVY rainfall from Storm Callum has caused further landslips along the A83, meaning the road and the diversion put in place will remain shut over the weekend.

This morning, around 300 tonnes of new debris reached the A83 and around 50 tonnes had reached the Old Military Road.

More heavy rain is forecast in the coming days but despite the challenging weather, work continues to protect the road from debris.

Cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson said: “The landslides at the Rest and Be Thankful this week have been some of the most challenging in recent memory both for the community and for the teams working in difficult conditions.

“I saw for myself this morning the size of the challenge with secondary slips complicating matters and delaying use of the Old Military Road diversion route. It is a dynamic situation on the hillside, there are warnings of further heavy rain and while every effort is being made to get traffic moving, today’s events reinforce the need for a safety first approach.

“I understand that local residents and businesses are being inconvenienced as a result of these events and I would like to thank them for their patience during the disruption. Every effort is being made to clean-up the debris and I appreciate the huge efforts of the recovery teams and police."

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s north west network manager said: “Safety remains our top priority, and although we had prepared the Old Military Road so that it was ready to open today, the further landslips this morning mean that this can no longer happen. It is not considered safe to open the Old Military Road this weekend.

“Teams continue to work tirelessly to assess the risk of further landslips, clear debris that has reached the A83, Old Military Road and the nets above the A83.

“In the meantime we remind road users that Argyll remains open for business, and rest assured we’re doing everything possible to get the Old Military Road open as soon as we can.

“We encourage road users to follow the diversion route via Dalmally in the meantime, and to plan ahead by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date journey information.”