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Landslide blocks Scottish road after biblical rains

19th August 2004, Page 12
19th August 2004
Page 12
Page 12, 19th August 2004 — Landslide blocks Scottish road after biblical rains
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Torrential rain cut off the rest of the UK from the far north of Scotland; ex-pat Emma Penny reports.

THE A9 TRUNK route between Perth and Inverness was blocked by a massive landslide last week following torrential rain.

As CM went to press more than six days after the incident only one lane was open — the road isn't expected to fully reopen until today (Thursday) and will have a temporary speed limit until repairs are completed.

Thousands of tonnes of earth slid down the hill just north of Dunkeld in Perthshire, trapping a family in their car (see picture).

A spokesman for Bear Scotland, which has the contract for maintaining the A9, says the landslide was probably a result of damage to a road further up the hillside which runs parallel to the trunk road.

"We had five or six days of solid torrential rain which led to this problem," he adds. "We are working to repair the damage and to strengthen the hillside so this doesn't happen again."

Murray Campbell, boss of Inverness transport firm R&F Campbell. says two of his company's trucks were caught in tailbacks just after the landslide had occurred: "The drivers got as far as they could and then just parked up for the night. It did disrupt deliveries as we had to delay other trucks until the next. day."

Campbell says some sort of bar rier should be erected on such an important route.

But the Bear spokesman says: "Any barriers would have to be pretty high to stop something like this."


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