The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Indefinite closure of road after landslip
A ofcountry road in Fife has been closed indefinitely after a landslip tonnes of earth and rocks.
The incident happened on the C45 at Dura Den, a road that was previously closed for more than three years because of extensive flood damage.
It is thought the landslip was caused by extensive rainfall in the area in recent weeks as well as the severe weather conditions brought about by Storm Darcy.
Engineers from Fife Council have conducted an initial survey of the incident, but due to the amount of debris that has fallen away from the steep banking are not to undertake a further more detailed inspection on how to make the area safe.
Instead, specialists will need to be brought in to carry out a further assessment.
The latest closure comes nine years after the same area was devastated by severe flooding when Ceres Burn burst its banks.
It caused extensive flooding, the collapse of banking and destruction of a section of the road through the picturesque hamlet in October 2012.
The effects of the damage were so extensive, one home had to be demolished while several others suffered extensive damage.
The incident resulted in the road at Dura Den remaining closed for more than three years to allow for sections of the route to be rebuilt.
It finally reopened in December 2015. However, legal action continued until 2019 over who was to blame for the damage.
Commenting on the latest incident, Ross Speirs, Fife Council’s service manager, structural services, said: “The landslip resulted in debris falling on to the road.
“Our initial assessment has shown that a more specialist investigation will be needed before we can be sure that the road is safe to use.
“We’ll need to keep the road closed while that investigation work takes place and to allow us to clear the fallen debris.
“The safety of local residents and road users is our priority and therefore the road will remain closed until the results of the investigation are available when a further assessment will be made.”
Dura Den, situated north of Pitscottie in north-east Fife, is a 3km long wooded gorge and woodland, which includes Kemback waterfall, and is popular with walkers and tourists.